Chicken Quinoa Salad

By: Olivia Updated: 9/21/23

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This healthy chicken quinoa salad recipe has great texture, flavor and color. It’s filled with fresh veggies like cucumber, bell pepper and red onion. Plus, you’ll get a large helping of fiber from hearty quinoa and velvety black beans. And don’t forget the boost of protein that comes from perfectly seasoned, juicy baked chicken. Top everything with a simple, homemade lemony dressing for next level deliciousness!

This nutritious, quick and easy salad can be enjoyed hot or cold. It makes the perfect side or lunch, but can also be served as a light main dish for dinner. For more chicken salad recipes, try this Grilled Chicken Avocado Salad. It’s very good too!

Chicken quinoa salad in a large, white serving dish.

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A delicious quinoa salad is the best way to celebrate spring! This good-for-you grain is one of my favorites and we’ve always got some in the pantry. I even have a full guide explaining How to Make Fluffy Quinoa so you can get the perfect texture every time.

And if you love this recipe, I’ve also got some yummy variations. Try my Quinoa Salad with Roasted Asparagus, Carrot Quinoa Salad, Quinoa Greek Salad or Shrimp Quinoa Salad!

How To Make Chicken Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

Chicken — You’ll need four small chicken breasts, I generally purchase free-range, organic meat when possible.
Extra virgin olive oil — Or you can also substitute avocado oil.
Seasonings — Italian seasonings, paprika, ground coriander, salt and black pepper.
Quinoa — I typically use white quinoa but any color will do!
Lemon juice — For a citrusy, homemade dressing. I always squeeze mine fresh, bottled can work in a pinch but it’s not nearly as tasty. You can also use fresh lime (lime juice).
Veggies — Red onion, red bell pepper (or your favorite color) and crunchy cucumber. You can certainly use other vegetables as well.
Legumes — Delicious, velvety black beans.
Garnish — I love sprinkling some fresh chopped parsley on my salad because it ads extra color and flavor.

Instructions

Bake the chicken:

First, preheat your oven to 400°F. Then, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (this is optional but does make for super easy cleanup).
Place chicken breasts in a medium bowl, drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat.
Add Italian seasonings, paprika, ground coriander, salt and pepper. Mix until spices are well distributed onto chicken and then line on your prepared baking sheet.
Bake chicken for about 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest part reaches 165°F! Let chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing it up (this will help the meat retain moisture).

Left: chicken and oil in bowl. Middle: seasonings added. Right: chicken on baking sheet.

Cook quinoa:

While chicken bakes, get to multitasking and prepare your quinoa!
Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, rinse and drain quinoa in a fine mesh strainer.
When water comes to a rolling boil, reduce heat to low, add quinoa and place a lid on the saucepan. Cook for 10-15 minutes, remove from heat and then fluff it up with a fork!
Set quinoa aside and let it rest/cool for at least five minutes.

Left: quinoa in boiling water. Middle: lidded saucepan. Right: fluffed quinoa in saucepan.

Make salad dressing:

Grab a small mason jar or bowl and all of your dressing ingredients: freshly squeezed juice from one lemon, olive oil, salt and black pepper.
Place a lid on your mason jar and shake vigorously until emulsified, if you don’t have a lid, simply use a whisk to combine!

Left: dressing ingredients in jar. Middle: dressing in jar. Right: dressing in jar.

Assemble and serve:

Add cooked quinoa, chopped vegetables and black beans to a really big bowl and toss everything together very well. Drizzle dressing over ingredients and stir again.
Do a taste test and add some more salt and pepper, if necessary, then garnish with fresh parsley and serve with sliced chicken. Enjoy!

Left: salad ingredients measured into bowl. Right: Salad ingredients mixed up in bowl.

How To Meal Prep Chicken Quinoa Salad

This recipe is especially FANTASTIC for meal prepping because it can be enjoyed hot or cold, I love portioning my salad into lidded containers for quick grab-and-go lunches throughout the week.

Salad portioned into glass meal prep container.

You can simply enjoy your salad chilled. When you’re tired of eating sandwiches for lunch, this recipe is a great way to mix things up.

Without chicken, this salad will keep in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. With chicken, you should eat it within 3-4 days. Consider packing some up with chicken and some without for variety and a few meals that will last longer.

Recipe Tips

If you’ve got extra chicken from last night’s dinner, you can whip this recipe up even more quickly by utilizing the leftovers, rather than baking a fresh batch.
Try grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken rather than baked!
Use another protein like shrimp or steak. You can also make a vegetarian version of this salad by using tofu or chunks of salty feta cheese instead of meat.
I typically use white quinoa for my salad, but you can use whatever color you’ve got on hand!
For extra protein, you can cook your quinoa in bone broth instead of water.
I love black beans, but feel free to use whatever type you enjoy most. Green beans, cannellini beans or chickpeas would all be delicious. You can even substitute lentils.
Use up your extra produce with this flexible recipe. You certainly don’t have to use cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, red onion and red bell pepper as your veggie options in this dish. Try carrots, broccoli, shaved brussels sprouts, snap peas, etc.
You can garnish this chicken quinoa salad also with fresh mint and/or fresh cilantro.
Add some chopped nuts like walnuts, peanuts, almonds or cashews for some extra crunch, if desired.

How To Store Leftovers

To Store: Place leftover salad in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. Without chicken, leftover salad will last a bit longer (5-6 days).

To Freeze: Freeze salad in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 4 months.

To Reheat: Microwave leftovers, on high, until warmed through completely. This salad can also be enjoyed cold, so it doesn’t necessarily need to be reheated. If frozen, I recommend thawing overnight in the refrigerator or for a couple of hours on the countertop.

More Cookout Sides

Quinoa chicken salad is the perfect accompaniment for a spring/summer cookout or pool party. Here are some more tasty sides to enjoy at your outdoor event:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is quinoa salad made of?

It’s typically made with a base of cooked quinoa, a protein of some kind, chopped veggies, legumes and salad dressing. You can really get creative and customize to your preferences.

Is quinoa salad good for you?

I would definitely consider this quinoa salad to be healthy! It’s high in fiber and full of nutritious vegetables plus lean protein.

Is quinoa salad high in calories?

This particular salad has approximately 478 calories per serving. Of course, the amount of calories in any given quinoa salad recipe will vary greatly depending on the ingredients used.

Serve It With

Cajun Shrimp Skewers

Garlic Butter Steak Bites

Air Fryer Asparagus Recipe

Easy Broccoli Salad Recipe

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