Chicken Quinoa Salad
This chicken quinoa salad made with seasoned grilled chicken, crunchy veggies, roasted cashews and a creamy sesame tahini dressing is my ideal all-in-one salad recipe. It comes together in 30 minutes and tastes even better the next day, making it the perfect meal prep.
The homemade tahini sesame dressing is the star of the recipe. It truly tastes store-bought and will hands down be my new go-to dressing!
Salad must haves
This dish ties in all of my must-have salad components for a meal prep salad-
- Veggies that don’t wilt- so they taste fresh even a couple of days later
- Protein– to help keep you full
- Crunch– for added texture
- A fun dressing– creamy sesame tahini dressing
Ingredients you’ll need for Chicken Quinoa Salad
For the salad:
- Quinoa- cooked in water or broth
- Shredded kale
- Shaved purple cabbage
- Carrots
- Cashews
- Scallions
For the chicken:
- Chicken breast
- Olive oil
- Soy sauce
- Maple syrup
- Spices- salt, pepper, garlic powder
Sesame dressing:
- Avocado oil
- Lime juice
- Tahini
- Soy sauce
- Maple syrup
- Sesame oil
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Salt
- Add the quinoa to a saucepan with the water and a pinch of salt. Cover the pan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the flame and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Set aside.
- Add the sliced chicken to a bowl and season with the seasonings. Heat a skillet on medium heat with about 3 tbsp of olive oil. Once hot, add the chicken and cook for about 15-18 minutes total, flipping the chicken every couple of minutes until browned.
- To prepare the dressing, add the dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust salt as needed.
- Assemble the salad with the chopped kale, shredded cabbage, carrot slices. cooked quinoa, chicken, cashews and scallions. Toss together with the sesame dressing.
The sesame dressing is the true star of this recipe, and adds the most delicious flavor to the salad. It’s made with a few simple pantry ingredients, and can stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Bake, grill or air-fry the chicken
I used chicken breast for this recipe that sliced into strips, and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce and a little maple syrup. You can use chicken tenders, chicken thighs, or a store-bought rotisserie chicken that you shred.
To grill the chicken
I chose to cook the chicken on a grill pan. Heat a pan on medium heat with olive oil. Cook the chicken for about 4-5 minutes per side for tenders, until browned and caramelized or 7-8 minutes per side for breast.
To bake or air-fry the chicken
Season the chicken with spices and olive oil. Bake it on 400 F for about 15-18 minutes, flipping halfway through
I love this salad for many reasons, but mostly because its so versatile and tastes delicious even the next day. I got so many requests for the recipe when I teased it on my stories, so I hope you love it as much as I do!
Other hearty salads:
Burrata Tortellini Salad
Salmon Farro Salad
Avocado Tuna Salad
Chicken Quinoa Salad with Sesame Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 3/4 cups water or broth
- 3 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/2 head purple cabbage thinly shaved
- 2 cups shredded kale
- 2 scallions chopped
- 1/3 cup roasted cashews
Chicken
- 1.5 lbs boneless chicken breast sliced into strips
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Olive oil
Sesame dressing
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- Juice from 1 lime
- 2 tbsp tahini paste
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Add the quinoa to a saucepan with 1 3/4 cups water and a pinch of salt. Cover the pan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the flame and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Set aside.
- Add the sliced chicken to a bowl and season with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, maple syrup and 1 tbsp of olive oil
- Heat a skillet on medium heat with about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once hot, add the chicken and cook for about 15-18 minutes total, flipping the chicken every couple of minutes until browned. I like to add in about 2 tbsp of water towards the end to deglaze the pan.
- To prepare the dressing, add the dressing ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Adjust salt as needed.
- Assemble the salad with the chopped kale, shredded cabbage, carrots, quinoa, chicken, scallion and cashews. Toss together with the sesame dressing.
Delicious!