This black quinoa and chicken salad is full of healthy green vegetables, herbs and a fresh lemon dressing that makes it just what you need for a quick and easy meal. As a bonus it keeps well in the fridge and so is ideal for a leftovers lunch the next day too

Black quinoa and Chicken salad with green beans and green peppers

I created this black quinoa and chicken salad as part of a challenge to create easy healthy recipes with 7 or fewer ingredients. It's the type of meal you can make when you really don't want to try out anything complicated or do too much thinking.

Yes, this simple black quinoa and chicken salad is just perfect for an easy meal and is also a great meal to make with leftover roast chicken.

I keep it all simple including the dressing. It's just lemon juice, fresh parsley and black pepper. I love lemon juice on a salad and because of the fresh herbs there's enough flavour to make the salad zesty and light.

What ingredients do you need for this black quinoa chicken salad?

To make this salad you'll need:

Black quinoa - Red or white quinoa are fine too
Chicken breasts - You can stir fry the chicken or use leftover roast chicken
Green peppers
Green beans
Lemon Juice - Fresh lemon juice is definitely better than a bottle of juice
Parsley - You definitely need fresh herbs for this salad too. If you don't have parsley then coriander (cilantro) or basil also work well.
Seasoning - I love to add lots of black pepper. You can add a little salt too.

Adaptations and substitutions

Feel free to use this recipe as inspiration and adapt it to suit your tastes. I love the green beans and green peppers in this recipe but you could add different greens such as tenderstem broccoli and use red or yellow peppers instead of green ones.

Additional vegetables such as peas and sweetcorn also work well in this salad.

You could make this salad vegetarian by replacing the chicken with burrata or grilled halloumi. Or how about a vegan version using crispy fried tofu?

You can also cook the chicken in different ways. I stir fry it as it's quick and easy but you can also poach it or cook it under the grill (broiler).

What is black quinoa like?

I tried black quinoa for the first time when I made kabocha squash stuffed with black quinoa and discovered how much I like the taste and crunchy texture of black quinoa. I was keen to use it again here as I think it goes really well with the green vegetables and chicken.

Storage

You can keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to three days. Just store it in an airtight container. That means it's also a great salad to prep in advance for lunches during the week or to take out on picnics.

More delicious chicken salad recipes

Why not try my Vietnamese chicken and rice salad too? Or one of these recipes:

Recipe

Chicken and Black Quinoa Salad

Corina Blum

This recipe for a healthy black quinoa and chicken salad is full of vibrant green vegetables, herbs and a fresh lemon dressing.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Course Main Meal, Salad

Cuisine International

Servings

Calories 301 kcal

Ingredients

200 g black quinoa red or white quinoa are fine too
3 chicken breasts cut into strips
2 green peppers cut into strips
80 g green beans ends cut off and then cut in half
1 lemon Juiced
2 tablespoon parsley chopped
⅛ teaspoon Black pepper

Instructions

Rinse and then cook the quinoa according to the pack instructions. I cooked mine for 20 minutes. Then drain.
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan or wok and stir fry the chicken.
When the chicken is cooked on the outside add the green beans and peppers and continue to stir fry for a few more minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are cooked but still with some bite.
Mix the lemon juice and most of the parsley into the quinoa. Season with black pepper
Serve the chicken and green vegetables on top of the quinoa with the extra parsley sprinkled on top.

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and a guideline only.

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 26gFat: 5gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 104mgPotassium: 751mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 545IUVitamin C: 56.8mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 3.1mg

Keyword quinoa chicken salad

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