Chicken Quinoa Salad

This flavorful and colorful Chicken Quinoa Salad is meal prep friendly and loaded with veggie goodness! Shredded rotisserie chicken is paired with a medley of tomatoes, carrots, peppers, onion, black beans and kale and tossed with fluffy quinoa and the most flavorful dijon dressing.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicken Quinoa Salad

Prep Time 17

Cook Time 13

Total Time 30

Servings cups

Calories 252kcal

Author Jenn Laughlin - Peas and Crayons

Ingredients

1 cup dry quinoa
1 ½ cups water
2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
15 oz black beans (1 can) drained and rinsed
6 sweet mini peppers or 1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 roma tomatoes
½ cup grated carrot
¼ cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped kale
3-4 TBSP chopped green onion and parsley (optional but tasty!)

LEMON DIJON DRESSING

3 TBSP fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 TBSP avocado oil
1 TBSP white wine vinegar
½ TBSP coarse ground mustard (like grey poupon country dijon)
¾ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp black pepper plus extra to taste

Instructions

COOK THE QUINOA

Rinse and drain quinoa using a mesh strainer/sieve.
Bring a small pot to medium-high heat and lightly toast the quinoa to remove any excess water, stirring often. This step is totally optional but adds to the nuttiness and fluff factor of the quinoa!
Next add water, set burner to high heat, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered with the lid slightly ajar, for 13 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and the liquid has been absorbed.
Once the quinoa is ready, fluff with a fork and lightly season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a large bowl and place in the fridge for a few minutes to cool it down.

CHOP THE VEGGIES

While the quinoa cooks, prep the vegetables. Chopping the vegetables in to small pieces will help you get a little bit of everything in each bite.
Finely chop peppers, tomatoes, shredded carrots, red onion, kale, and optional parsley/green onion.
Drain and rinse black beans.

MAKE THE DRESSING

Add dressing ingredients to a small mason jar, top securely with the lid, then shake well to emulsify.

SALAD TIME!

To the bowl with the quinoa add chopped rotisserie chicken, black beans, and veggies.
Add half the dressing and mix well. Give it a taste and add as much of the remaining dressing as desired. Additional salt and pepper can be added to taste. This salad is super versatile if you'd like to add more of your favorite ingredients.
I like to save a little of the dressing for jazzing up the meal prepped bowls before serving or you’re adding a lot of extras (like extra chicken to get more protein) simply add any additional dressing to taste and you’re good to go!

Notes

Love this salad? Meal prep it! You can make up to 4 days worth of healthy lunches. This salad tastes great both cold and at room temperature so serve it up your favorite way and get ready to marvel at how much of a little meal prep rockstar you are for making this salad for the week.

Recipe yields approx 8 cups of salad. Nutrition Facts below are estimated for salad with dressing using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed based on swaps/extras added.

Nutrition