This Chicken and Quinoa Salad is a meal that the whole family will enjoy. Chicken, quinoa, crunchy celery, spring onions and avocado are tossed in a bowl with a creamy, healthy salad dressing made with plain yoghurt. It is a meal that is ideal for lunch or dinner.
2cooked chicken breasts - sliced or shreddedSee Note 1
½cup(90 g) uncooked white quinoaSee Note 2
1cup(250 ml) water - for cooking the quinoa
¼cup(25 g) flaked almonds
2ribscelery - sliced thinly on the diagonal
3spring onions - sliced thinly on the diagonal – white and some green part
1mediumavocado - cut into small cubes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
For the Dressing:
⅓cup(80 ml) Greek yoghurt
1tablespoonextra virgin olive oilSee Note 3
6teaspoon(30 ml) lemon juice - freshly sqeuezed
1teaspoonhoney
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to tasteSee Note 4
Instructions
Put the quinoa into a fine-meshed sieve and rinse well under cold running water, swishing the quinoa with your hand. Drain the quinoa well. See Note 2.
Add water to a medium saucepan, add the quinoa, bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, until the seeds are tender. When they’re cooked you will notice they have little curly “tails”.(Or follow the directions on the packet)
After removing the saucepan from the heat, place a clean tea towel or 3 layers of paper towel over the saucepan, place the lid back on and stand for 5 minutes. The tea towel/paper towel will absorb excess moisture. Turn the quinoa into a large bowl.
To toast the flaked almonds, add them to a dry, non-stick frying pan. Over medium heat, toss or stir them frequently until they are golden, about 2 minutes. Be careful, they will burn easily. Add to a small bowl so they don’t continue cooking in the pan.
In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients.
Slice the celery, spring onions, chicken and avocado and add to the quinoa, along with the flaked almonds.
Add all of the ingredients to a bowl, and toss with the dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
It is important to rinse the quinoa as this helps remove the outside coating of the grain which can cause a slightly bitter taste. Drain it well after rinsing so that all the water is absorbed during cooking.
In Australia, the tablespoon is 20 ml or 4 teaspoons. In many other countries, the tablespoon is 15 ml or 3 teaspoons. Please adjust the measurement if necessary.
Ensure that the dish is adequately seasoned to your liking, to bring out the best flavour.
Please note, the nutritional information is based on the salad serving two. The nutritional information is an estimate only.