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–+ servings

Quinoa Salad Everyone Will Love (with Chicken)

Even 'haters' of quinoa are going to love this salad. The flavors really shine and quite simply -- there's nothing here to hate!
Print Recipe
Quinoa salad with arugula set on a plate with sliced, roasted chicken.
Prep Time:30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 3 tsp olive oil (divided)
  • 2 cups boiling or very hot water, chicken broth or chicken bone broth
  • 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, roasted
  • 3/4 cup feta cheese
  • 3/4 cup kalamata olives, large dice
  • 2 cups baby arugula
  • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
  • 3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • pepper, to taste
  • sliced rotisserie chicken, grilled shrimp, salmon
  • 1 Tbsp champagne vinegar or white vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°. When hot, spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast until lightly brown. Remove from pan.
  • Take oven temp up to 450° and spread grape/cherry tomatoes on same pan as almonds were on. Pour 2 tsp of olive oil over tomatoes and add salt and pepper. Give tomatoes a light stir and then put into oven for roughly 20 minutes or until they look nicely roasted.
  • Meanwhile, add 1 tsp of olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add quinoa and stir to toast, about 3-5 minutes. Then, add boiling water/broth to quinoa. Cover, partially and let cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
  • Chop and prep rest of ingredients. Combine champagne vinegar and 3Tbsp olive oil in a shaker or small bowl to use as dressing.
  • Fluff quinoa with a fork and add tomatoes, feta, olives, arugula, red onion, almonds, parsley and salt and pepper. Mix or shake dressing and then add to quinoa, lightly tossing.
  • I love to add slices of rotisserie chicken, boiled or grilled shrimp or salmon to the top of this salad for a meal.

Notes

This quinoa salad makes a great to-go lunch or picnic staple. It works equally well as a side salad or a complete meal. 3 cups of quinoa, prepared, may not sound like much but after the addition of the arugula and other fixings, it makes quite a bowlful! Preparing the quinoa with bone broth adds more protein to the already protein-rich quinoa, feta, and almonds. But go ahead and make it a more filling meal by adding slices of rotisserie chicken, grilled shrimp, or salmon. Enjoy.
Servings: 6