Salads are my go to, my favorite way to get my greens, veggies, protein and healthy fats in one fell swoop. This Easy Blackened Chicken and Quinoa Salad has it all, plus a little kick!
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Easy Blackened Chicken and Quinoa Salad on green metal platter

 

Easy Blackened Chicken and Quinoa Salad:

Beautiful, colorful and healthy! And it feeds a crowd, you can’t get any better than that. Oh wait, yes you can, start to finish this meal takes about 30 minutes, but you can speed up the process by making quinoa in advance. I cook larger batches of quinoa, rice (basically any grain that keeps well) and pull it out as I need it.

A platter of Easy Blackened Chicken and Quinoa Salad on a wooden table with a small bowl of sea salt and a saucer of lime wedges

The Chicken:

Use leftover rotisserie or roasted chicken to keep this recipe a breeze. Simply reheat chicken in a pan with your favorite cajun spice and you’re good to go.

A woman's hand squeezing a lime wedge onto the Easy Blackened Chicken and Quinoa Salad

Photos by Octavia Kathryn

The Quinoa:

Quinoa is a grain from South America that is high in protein, fiber and healthy fats, and believe it or not quinoa is related to beetroot, spinach and tumbleweeds! It is similar to rice in that it isn’t very flavorful on it’s own but takes on the flavors of what it is cooked in/with. I usually cook mine in broth for more flavor but water works fine too, especially with this salad because it is already loaded with flavor.

Easy Blackened Chicken and Quinoa Salad on green platter with lime wedges and salad dressing in the background

The Greens and Add Ons:

I use crispy Romaine in this salad and add traditional salad choices like tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, then I toss in a handful of roasted salted cashews and some firm ripe avocados. Heaven!

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The Lime Vinaigrette!

Limes, olive oil, honey and sea salt make for a sweet and tangy dressing that works perfectly with the blackened cajun spices and salty cashews!

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The Recipe: Easy Blackened Chicken and Quinoa Salad

Tips and what you will need: You will need a good knife, and a good pan.

Print
Easy Blackened Chicken and Quinoa Salad
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

A vibrant, tasty. complete meal salad!

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy dinner recipe, easy lunch recipe, light recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Linda Spiker
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa cooked in 2 cups broth or water according to package directions
Lime Vinaigrette:
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2 Tablespoon honey
  • generous pinch sea salt
  • a few turns of freshly ground pepper
Salad:
  • 4 cups chopped romaine
  • 1 cup cherry tomato medley slice tomatoes in half
  • ½ cup roasted salted cashews
  • ½ small cucumber peeled and diced
  • ¼ of small red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 ripe avocado diced
The Chicken:
  • 2-3 cups shredded rotisserie or leftover roasted chicken
  • olive oil
  • blackened cajun spice
Instructions
  1. Cook quinoa with broth or water according to package instructions, strain and allow to cool. While quinoa is cooling, make vinaigrette by placing all ingredients into a mason jar and shaking or whisking until emulsified.
  2. Prepare lettuce, vegetables, avocado and nuts. Place on platter.
  3. Shred rotisserie or leftover roasted chicken.
  4. Place pan on medium heat. Reheat chicken until warm.
  5. Sprinkle with cajun spice mix to your liking. Stir.
  6. Toss cooled quinoa into greens. Add chicken and toss again.
  7. Dress salad and toss, sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve

More Recipes Using Cajun Spices:

Enjoy my Cajun Salmon Salad and Shrimp (or Chicken) and Artichoke Soup ~ Linda Spiker

 

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Post tags: Gluten free, dairy free