Yesterday I made this quick, easy and delicious Quinoa Cherry Chicken Salad for lunch so I thought now’s as good of time as any to hop back on the saddle and start blogging again! So before I sat down to eat I hauled out my camera gear and snapped a few quick photos so I could share this yummy dish with you all.
I’ve been eating very simple lately. Usually I’ll toss together a salad or something simple like this Quinoa Cherry Chicken Salad. It has such delicious combination of ingredients…
- Quinoa – If I’m making quinoa, I cook up a big batch to use throughout the week (or freeze in individual portions for later). I also like to use chicken stock for the liquid.
- Dried Cherries – I found these awesome dried cherries at Costco and I can’t stop eating them. They’re tart but not mouth puckering tart. They still have some sweetness to them. They’re so plump, moist and chewy. Yum! If you go to Costco, toss a bag in your cart, you’ll be happy you did!
- Chicken – I used a couple of chicken tenders that I cooked up and diced. You could even use some already cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store if you wanted.
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts – I had a bag of small ones that I just sliced up. If you use big ones, you might want to cut them in half first. Or, pick up a small bag of already shaved sprouts at the market and save a step!
- Spinach – I discovered a fantastic farmers market in the Little Italy neighborhood just a few blocks from my condo. It’s every Saturday morning (so excited about that). I picked up a bag of curly spinach last weekend and used some in this salad.
- Pistachios – I’m loving pistachios right now and got a big bag of them already shelled at Costco so that’s what I used. I’m sure whatever nut you like would make a delicious crunch in this salad.
- Goat Cheese – First I was going to use some Feta that I had but decided the creamy mellow goat cheese would be a better choice. It was perfect!
The amount of each individual ingredient can be adjusted to your liking. This makes enough for two good meal sized salads.
To finish it off, I tossed this Quinoa Cherry Chicken Salad in a simple white balsamic vinaigrette. I really hope you give this salad a try. It’s a winner!
Quinoa, Cherry and Chicken Salad
The amounts listed are just a guideline…you can adjust the amount of each ingredient in the salad to your personal preference.
- Yield: 2 large salads 1x
Ingredients
- 1 C. diced, cooked chicken
- 3/4 C. cooked and cooled quinoa (cook according to package directions)
- 2 C. spinach
- 1 1/2 C. shredded brussels sprouts
- 1/2 C. dried cherries
- 1/4 C. shelled pistachios
- 1/4 C. crumbled goat cheese
Vinaigrette:
- 3 Tbls. olive oil
- 2 Tbls. white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. honey
- 1–2 tsp. lemon juice (to taste)
- pinch of salt & pepper
Instructions
- Make the Vinaigrette: Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Assemble the Salad: Combine salad ingredients in bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss to combine.