Lemon Chicken Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is such a delicious and hearty gluten free base for a dinner salad. This Lemon Chicken Quinoa Salad is a tasty and healthy meal. Great for meal prep and packing up for lunches!

Lemon Chicken Quinoa Salad in a bowl with fresh lemons in the background

Any time Joe eats quinoa I want to party like it’s 1999. 😉

Not kidding!

Granted he was pretty hungry but, he ate every bite. I enjoyed this chicken quinoa bowl right away, but Joe is always my most feared/revered critic and quinoa usually is not his thing.

This particular quinoa recipe was.

Happy dance. 🙂

Lemon Chicken Quinoa Salad in a bowl with fresh lemons in the background

The chicken I used is a popular Honour System marinade, featuring honey and mustard.

It was perfect for this dish which had an even mix of sweet, sour and savoury. Oh, and don’t forget crunch! These peanuts were the crowning glory. The forkfuls that had peanuts on it were hotly anticipated.

What I particularly like is that this salad has a distinctive flavour of Spring.

You see, we live in Canada in a quaint lakeside community that for nine or ten months out of the year is picture perfect, with hot Summer days and incredible Fall colours.

But Winter here is a cruel bitch. Excuse my French. 😉

We got absolutely buried in snow this past January and February. Snow day number one is peaceful and fresh.

a road and trees covered in snow from 2015

Snow day number twenty-five doesn’t feature quite the same shine, if you know what I mean.

We couldn’t see our mall from the street for weeks due to the ten foot high, dirty drifts from the snow plows. The exact opposite of ‘pure as the driven snow’.

So to help shake off the cloak of this cold season, I’m busting out the lemons and the local honey.

The day got brighter instantly.

LEMON CHICKEN QUINOA SALAD

a hand holding a whole lemon
a hand holding a jar of local honey

And what about the colours of the quinoa?

I like using a tri-colour quinoa.

It gives you different textures that definitely add interest.

tri colour quinoa in a measuring cup

Have you heard of this trick for cooking quinoa?

After it boils and you set it aside, covered, pop a sheet of paper towel between the lid and the pot to catch the condensation that builds up on the lid.

a glass pot lid with a paper towel underneath it

Thanks for that one, Gwyneth Paltrow!

If you are looking for healthy chicken and quinoa recipes, this is definitely one to start with.

Lemon Chicken Quinoa Salad in a bowl with fresh lemons in the background

So if you’re looking to kick start your Spring meal repertoire, give this tasty dish a try.

Man approved!

Lemon Chicken Quinoa Salad in a bowl with fresh lemons in the background

MORE HEALTHY QUINOA RECIPES:

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Instant Pot Quinoa

Quinoa Stuffed Maple Sweet Potato

Bolognese Sauce with Quinoa

Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash with Quinoa and Cranberries

Lemon Berry Quinoa Flour Muffins

*Originally posted March 23, 2015. Updated September 25, 2019* 

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Lemon Chicken Quinoa Salad

Sharon Rhodes
Quinoa is such a delicious and hearty gluten free base for a dinner salad. This Lemon Chicken Quinoa Salad is a tasty and healthy meal. Great for meal prep and packing up for lunches!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rest 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 2
Calories 645 kcal

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large mixing bowl
  • Add the honey and mustard to the hot quinoa and gently stir it in. Cover the bowl and set aside for 10 minutes
  • Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl stir together the shredded chicken with the lemon juice, chopped cilantro & sliced green onions
  • Add the chicken mixture to the warm quinoa and fold together. Stir in the lemon zest and roasted peanuts.

Nutrition

Calories: 645kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 51gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 329mgPotassium: 1255mgFiber: 8gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 345IUVitamin C: 10.2mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 5.2mg
Keyword quinoa chicken salad
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5 Comments

  1. Mmmm all that quinoa! This looks delicious! I totally know what you mean about the snow because….well…I’m dealing with the same sh!t too! 😉 hehe!

  2. Oh my goshhhhh I forgot to stock up on Mancini’s honey before I moved! 🙁 But on the plus side I saw a sign pointing towards local honey on my drive to Stratford one day, so maybe it’ll be almost as good. 😉

    This salad looks delicious! I have a serious thing for honey and mustard together.

    1. Have you officially gone now?! All the best of luck with the new job. 🙂 Sobey’s is really going to benefit from you as their RD!

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