Zesty Chicken Quinoa Salad

Course: Main

Cuisine: Belly Rumbles Original

Keyword: dressing for quinoa salad, recipe for chicken salad, recipes using quinoa

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 389kcal

Author: Sara McCleary

Low fat Chicken Quinoa Salad made with juicy poached chicken, fragrant herbs and crunchy vegetables. Topped off with a healthy zesty orange salad dressing.

Print Recipe

Equipment

medium pot with lid
small saucepan
fine mesh sieve
chopping board + sharp knife

Ingredients

Poached Chicken

2 (350g approx) chicken breast fillets
30 grams ginger sliced
2 cloves garlic skin removed and bruised
125 ml (½ cup) shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
65 ml (¼ cup) dark soy sauce
1 whole dried chili

Quinoa Salad

180 grams (1 cup) mixed quinoa (mix of red, black & white)
2 carrots small diced
2 Lebanese cucumbers (English/Persian cucumbers) de-seeded and diced (leave skin on)
2 green onions (scallions) green onions, finely sliced
1 bunch mint leaves finely chopped
1 bunch coriander (cilantro) finely chopped

Orange Dressing

2 tablespoons palm sugar
60 mls (3 tablespoons) red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon chicken stock powder
250 mls (1 cup) orange juice freshly squeezed
2 star anise
1 garlic clove crushed
1 small red chili finely chopped

Instructions

Chicken Quinoa Salad

In a large bowl place quinoa, carrot, cucumbers, spring onion, mint, coriander, and the poached chicken.
Pour over the orange dressing, mix well and serve

Poaching Chicken

In a large pot add 4 cups of cold water, chicken breast, ginger, garlic, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and dried chili.
Bring to a slow boil and reduce to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and leave the chicken to cool in poaching liquid.
Once the chicken has cooled and is easy to handle remove from the poaching liquid. With your hands shred chicken for use in the salad. Keep covered in the fridge until ready to use.

Cooking Quinoa

Place quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer. Rinse quinoa under cold water, agitating the quinoa with one hand as your rinse. Rinses for around 30 seconds.
This step will remove any bitterness from the quinoa.
Place rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water in a medium pot that has a lid. Uncovered bring quinoa to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for around 15 - 20 minutes, or until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid.
Remove pot from the stove and cover with the pot lid. Leave to steam in its own heat for 5 minutes.
Remove lid and fluff with a fork.

Orange Dressing

In a small pot dissolve palm sugar in the red wine vinegar over low heat. Bring to a simmer and simmer one minute. Then add chicken stock powder, orange juice, star anise, garlic and chili.
Simmer for 5 minutes, remove the pot from heat and leave to cool. Once cool strain dressing to remove and solids.
Set orange dressing aside until you are ready to dress the chicken quinoa salad.

Notes

Chicken Recommended

Chicken breast is my recommendation as it is the leanest part of the chicken and my choice for this recipe. It does have a tendency to dry out, but as you will be poaching it will be moist and delicious.

If you want to speed up this recipe, you can always pick up a BBQ/roast chicken at your local supermarket. Break the chicken apart and use the breast part, removing skin and any bones.

What to do with Leftovers?

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. It will be fine to eat the day after making, but any longer the herbs will wilt and vegetables will lose their crunch.

Excess Orange Dressing

You can keep any excess orange dressing in a screw top jar in the fridge for up to a week.

Nutrition