Mediterranean Quinoa Chicken Salad
Because healthy food should taste amazing! Wanna know the best way to make a healthy salad double as comfort food?
Serve loads of veggies with sautéed onions, mushrooms and freshly grilled chicken. Ahhh, epic salads are topped with some warm elements– think fried goat cheese.
Yes, warm food + raw food = epic salad creation.
The perfect summer salad has grilled ingredients served warm served with fresh raw veggies. This Mediterranean Quinoa Chicken Salad bowl is topped with grilled chicken, sautéed onions and mushrooms and a zesty herb dressing.
This recipe was inspired by an old recipe on the blog, Mediterranean Pasta Salad, and I decided to give it a major upgrade and post a whole new recipe!
Because Mediterranean Quinoa Chicken Salad tho.
It’s satisfying, nourishing, and oh so healthy…. hope you dig into a bowl of this Mediterranean Quinoa Chicken Salad very soon.
Oh and because today is National Walnut Day, my friends over at California Walnuts are sharing this resource, Make Your Meals Mediterranean, to help people how to make small, specific changes to get closer to a Mediterranean-style of eating even when they aren’t living near the Mediterranean sea.
Mediterranean Quinoa Chicken Salad
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 2 bowls 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
The perfect summer salad has grilled ingredients served warm served with fresh raw veggies. This Mediterranean Quinoa Chicken Salad bowl is topped with grilled chicken, sautéed onions, mushrooms and a zesty herb dressing.
Ingredients
For salad
- 8 ounces fully cooked chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup diced English cucumbers
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 cups arugula
For dressing
- 1 teaspoon minced herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In skillet, heat olive oil over medium high and sauté onions and mushrooms until fully cooked and translucent.
- In a mason jar or bowl, prepare dressing by mixing all ingredients together. If using a mason jar, cap it and shake to mix salad dressing.
- Toss salad greens with dressing and distribute among two bowls. Layer warm chicken, mushrooms, onions, quinoa, bell pepper, cucumber, chickpeas and walnuts on greens.
Notes
Nutrition information includes salad dressing.
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Salad
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 recipe
- Calories: 663
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 537mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 24g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 56g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 39g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
Keywords: Mediterranean Quinoa Chicken Salad
Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, registered dietitian and millennial mom of two active and hungry boys. Here on Love & Zest, you’ll find (mostly) healthy recipes to fuel the whole family and real life stories of modern motherhood. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.
Did you make one of my recipes?? Leave a review in the comments and tag @loveandzest #loveandzest on Instagram!
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Yummy! There’s so much to love about this salad! I think the sautéed onions and mushrooms might be my favorite part!
Loving all the flavors you have packed in there and the Mediterranean twist! Great weeknight meal.
I love a salad with warm chicken and homemade dressing! It’s a perfect salad — and comfort food!
★★★★★
These look lovely Kristina! Love that carmelized onion addition. 🙂
I’m always looking for homemade dressing and I love all the fresh herbs in this one!
I agree with your “epic salad” name! So much healthy and deliciousness in here.
I love a little warm food in my salads whatever the season. One of these bowls would keep me going for hours.
★★★★★
I would top this with caramelised onions! Love how you added chickpeas to this.
I totally agree that this looks perfect for summer! We have been trying to eat more salads for dinner – I am slooowly convincing my husband that this can be delicious – and I think I will try this recipe next! I’ll love the chickpeas, he’ll like the quinoa, and cucumbers are pretty much the only green veg that my toddler will eat right now, so it’s an all-around win, ha!