Lemon Chicken Quinoa Salad

This lemon chicken quinoa salad is a fantastic way to use up any leftover chicken. It makes a great midweek lunch, picnic idea or packed lunch for work.

Why you should make this

• This salad is a great option if you’re following the Mediterranean Diet or simply want something that is packed with healthy fats, protein and fibre
  
• It is very quick and easy to make – a very handy recipe for busy days as it requires minimal cooking and uses up leftovers
  
• It can be prepared ahead of time
  
• It is gluten free

Variations

There are a number of ways you can switch up this recipe according to your tastes. Here are some ideas to try:

• If you’re vegetarian you could swap the chicken for chickpeas, black beans or tofu
  
• You could swap the chicken for seafood such as prawns or leftover salmon
  
• Try adding extra veggies such as grated carrot, spinach, or chopped peppers
  
• Leftover roasted vegetables would taste great added to this dish
  
• If you don’t have thyme you could a different soft herb such as fresh parsley, cilantro (coriander) or basil
  
• You could experiment with different spices such as cumin, coriander or chilli powder

Ingredients

Cooked chicken – use up any leftover roast chicken

Cooked quinoa – having some pre-cooked quinoa in the fridge will save you time on this recipe. If you’re cooking it from scratch it’s really easy and takes about 15 minutes: How to Cook Quinoa

Garlic – I like to use a small fresh clove of grated garlic for this recipe but you could use garlic powder instead

Lemon juice – the juice and zest of 1 lemon gives this salad a great fresh zingy flavour

Dijon mustard

Extra virgin olive oil

Smoked paprika – if you don’t have smoked paprika, you could use normal paprika

Fresh thyme – use any other soft herb if you don’t have thyme

Cucumber

Spring onion

Canned sweetcorn

Tomatoes – you can use round tomatoes or cherry tomatoes

How to make lemon chicken quinoa salad

1. Prepare the Dressing – in a small bowl, whisk together the grated garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, smoked paprika, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, fresh thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste and set aside.
   
2. Assemble the Salad – in a large bowl, combine the shredded leftover chicken, cooked quinoa, diced cucumber, sliced spring onions, chopped tomato and sweetcorn.
   
3. Dress the Salad – pour the prepared dressing over the salad ingredients. Gently toss to combine, ensuring all the ingredients are well coated with the dressing.
   
4. Serve – you can serve the salad as it is or on top of a bed of mixed lettuce leaves.

Storage Instructions

Eat this salad immediately or store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two days.

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