This hearty yet healthy salad has roasted vegetables and chicken nestled in baby spinach with quinoa sprinkled throughout; all this is brought together with a sweet and creamy dressing.
Ingredients
- Chicken (I like making this with leftover Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs, but any chicken will do! An easy chicken to add is Rotisserie Chicken)
- Spinach
- Walnuts (Optional)
- Quinoa
- Bell Pepper
- Red Onion
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Tomatoes
- Sour Cream
- Honey
- Garlic Powder
- Apple Cider Vinegar
The Gist of It
- Shred the Chicken
- Cut and Roast the Veggies
- Cook the Quinoa
- Combine Veggies, Chicken and Quinoa with Spinach
- Top with Dressing and Walnuts
Will the hot vegetables wilt the salad?
No, not really. Spinach holds up decently and it also tastes good warm so if there is any heat transfer from the warm chicken, vegetables and quinoa its not a negative thing.
Can I use another lettuce?
I would try arugula but honestly, I like the neutral flavour of spinach in this!
Roasted Chicken and Vegetable Quinoa Salad
Hearty, Healthy and Easy to throw together on any day of the week.
Ingredients
chicken
- 2 Cups Roasted Chicken Cooked and Shredded, see note
Quinoa
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 2 cups Water or chicken stock
Roasted Vegetables
- 2 Carrots
- 1 Bell Pepper
- 4 White Button Mushrooms Quartered
- ½ Red Onion
- 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Pepper
Dressing
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- ½ Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salad
- 8 Cups Baby Spinach
- ¼ Cup Walnuts
Instructions
Preheat Oven to 400°F
Roasted Vegetables
- Cut the vegetables and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, tinfoil or a silicone mat. Drizzle Vegetables in Olive oil and season with salt and pepper.Place Vegetables in pre-heated oven and roast for 25 minutes.How To Cut The VegetablesCarrots: Peel and cut them into thin coins. no more than ¼" thickBell Pepper: Cut into 2" chunksOnion: Cut into 2-3" hunksMushrooms: QuarterTomatoes: Wash and Leave whole
Quinoa
- Rinse the quinoa with a fine mesh strainer.To a medium-sized saucepan add the quinoa and water. (if you want a kick of flavour add a teaspoon of chicken bouillon or use chicken stock in place of water.)Cook to package instructions. (Usually, you will bring it to a boil and then simmer it for 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.)
Chicken
- If you are using leftover chicken, shred it now. You can add it to the sheet pan of vegetables in the last 5 minutes of cooking if you wish to reheat it. If you are cooking fresh chicken for this recipe, get it going first!
Dressing
- In a bowl, combine the sour cream, vinegar, garlic powder and honey and whisk to combine. Set Aside.
Assemble
- In a large bowl add the chicken, quinoa and roasted vegetables to the spinach.Add Dressing and Toss to combine. Top with Walnuts
Nutrition
Calories: 449kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 28gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 432mgPotassium: 1120mgFiber: 7gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 11962IUVitamin C: 67mgCalcium: 135mgIron: 5mg
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