Chicken Quinoa Salad With Apples
This chicken quinoa salad with apples is a deliciously complete meal that travels easily for lunch or road trips.
If you enjoy simple flavors, this is the quinoa salad for you. It’s not overly seasoned, the ingredients are basic and easy to come by, and it makes a very filling lunch or dinner.
I’m trying a new eating plan and it’s pretty limited in order to control blood sugar and weed out any problem foods. I’m doing pretty good at figuring things out, but there is still something that is upsetting my tummy when I eat. So this program has been really helpful at discovering what those issues could be. I won’t promote it here, but if you want to know about it, feel free to email me.
This salad was the very first meal I made, and while the flavors were definitely simple, they all came together to make a quinoa salad that I really enjoyed.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN QUINOA SALAD
So the basics of this are to simply start with a cooked quinoa. Get that and your chicken cooked and into the fridge to chill. You want them to be cooled down before combining everything. Then, you can prepare everything else and simply toss everything together in a large mixing bowl when you’re ready to eat. So if need be, you could even make the quinoa and chicken ahead of time, or use leftover chicken or quinoa to speed things up. But this isn’t a terribly long recipe. It’s just a matter of getting all the elements ready before you combine everything. It’s pretty easy.
RECIPE VARIATIONS
- For summer, add some chopped fresh basil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Particularly a fruit flavored vinegar. (Think cherry or peach balsamic)
- For Fall and winter, some cinnamon and cumin with the walnuts.
- For a sweet dish, add a bit of your favorite sweetener and perhaps some other fruits such as strawberries or even peaches.
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Enjoy!
CHICKEN QUINOA SALAD WITH APPLES
Apple Quinoa Salad
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Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked quinoa (I used tri-colored, but any will do)
- 1 cup cooked chicken (chopped, boneless, skinless chicken breast)
- 1 cup chopped apples
- ¾ cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup chopped, raw walnuts (optional)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook your quinoa to package directions and chill in the fridge.
- Season and bake your chicken in the oven until cooked through (at least 165 F. on a meat thermometer). Chill in the fridge. (I seasoned mine with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and used coconut oil)
- Chop the cooled chicken, apples, onions and walnuts (if using) into bite-size pieces. Smaller chunks make for a more pleasant experience.
- Toss everything together, season with salt and serve.