Blueberry Chicken Quinoa Salad is a kale quinoa salad recipe with fresh berries and homemade blueberry salad dressing!
No need to heat the kitchen with this recipe! It’s a perfect light and delicious grilled summer salad recipe.
Summer salad recipe
This summer quinoa salad recipe is made quickly with grilled chicken and leftover quinoa.
Using Bai Brasilia Blueberry juice as a base for a delicious blueberry dressing that’s used as both a marinade and a salad dressing. The homemade blueberry dressing recipe is light, flavorful and juicy.
Mixed with fresh mint, kale and chopped almonds this Blueberry Grilled Chicken Quinoa Salad is perfect for road trips, picnics and potlucks because there’s no heavy creamy coating. And the fresh fruit and mint it makes this cold quinoa salad recipe totally at home at brunch, too!
This post has been sponsored by Bai®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – or substitute any cut of chicken you prefer. Or substitute chicken for steak, fish or shellfish like salmon, tuna or shrimp. If you have leftover grilled meat like grilled chicken or grilled steak this recipe comes together so quickly! Or you can make a vegan quinoa salad feel free to leave out the meat or substitute with tofu.
- Quinoa – uncooked, or substitute leftover cooked quinoa
- Kale – washed and dried
- Fresh blueberries – or substitute any fresh in season berries or other fruits into your salad. Blackberries, pomegranate, avocado, mangos, segmented oranges, and grapes are all delicious.
- White onion – to saute and add flavor to the quinoa while cooking
- Red onion – chopped in the salad
- Chicken stock – or water, vegetable stock, mushroom stock, to cook the quinoa
- Blueberry juice – or substitute with pomegranate, cherry or cranberry juice
- Apple cider vinegar
- Olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh mint
- Roasted almonds – or substitute any other nut or seed like walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, or even toasted coconut
Step by step instructions
- Start by making the blueberry marinade that will be used as both a grilled chicken marinade and a salad dressing. Mix blueberry juice with 1 clove grated garlic, a good amount of chopped mint, vinegar and a dash of olive oil.
- Place chicken a shallow dish or large plastic storage bag and pour ½ the blueberry marinade over. Marinate chicken for at least 20 minutes, but no longer than 2 hours. Reserve the other half of the blueberry marinade for later.
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa and spread out on a baking sheet to cool quickly. Or simply use leftover cooked quinoa if you have it.
- And heat the grill. When chicken is ready grill chicken until lightly charred on the outside and evenly cooked throughout. Set chicken aside.
- Meanwhile, turn the remaining blueberry marinade into a homemade blueberry salad dressing. Whisk remaining olive oil into the reserved blueberry marinade until completely combined.
- Placed chopped red onions, blueberries and torn kale in a medium bowl and pour half the blueberry dressing over to season and toss the blueberry mixture into the cooled quinoa in a large bowl. Reserve the remaining dressing for later.
- When ready to serve pour the chilled quinoa salad onto a large platter and top with almonds, mint and sliced grilled chicken. Place remaining blueberry dressing on the side for drizzling.
- Enjoy!
Quinoa salad too wet?
Soggy quinoa is not a problem with this Blueberry Chicken Quinoa Salad recipe. To prevent soggy too wet quinoa salad cook the quinoa as directed so grains are light and fluffy and not clumpy. Then allow it to cool completely. Most importantly, dress only the vegetables rather than tossing the entire salad in dressing to prevent soggy quinoa.
How to store
Quinoa salad can be made ahead of time. It keeps well combined together for at least 2 days. But for the best texture and flavor store quinoa salad, almonds, chicken and mint separately for up to 5 days and combine before serving.
Homemade blueberry salad dressing can be stored refrigerated for up to 7 days.
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves about four pieces
- 4.5 cups cooked quinoa or 1.5 cups uncooked
- 1 cup blueberry juice
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic grated
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- dash black pepper
- 1 cup kale washed, dried and chopped
- 1 cup fresh blueberries ½ pint
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 1 cup fresh mint chopped and divided
- ½ cup almonds chopped
Perfect Quinoa
- ½ medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 cups quinoa
- 3 ¾ cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Blueberry Grilled Chicken Quinoa Salad
- Make Blueberry Marinade. Combine Brasilia Blueberry Bai with vinegar, garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and ¼ cup mint.
- Pour half the marinade over chicken in a storage bag or shallow pan. Marinate at least 20 minutes but no longer than 2 hours. Remove, pat dry and gril on high until charred and evenly cooked through. Remove, chill and slice.
- Meanwhile, make Blueberry Dressing. Whisk remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil into the reserved marinade until thick. Pour half over red onions, blueberries and kale in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Reserve the other half of the dressing to pass with the finished dish.
- Toss cooked quinoa with ½ cup mint and dressed onion/kale/blueberry mix. Serve on a large platter topped with sliced blueberry grilled chicken, almonds and remaining ¼ cup mint.
- Serve with reserved Blueberry Dressing on the side.
Perfect Quinoa
- In a large saucepan over medium heat add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add onion and garlic then quinoa. Turn to coat and cook until toasted.
- Add stock and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil and reduce to low. Simmer for 25 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and add lid. Let stand five minutes before fluffing with fork.
- To quick cool, add to a shallow baking sheet in a single layer and chill until ready to use.
Nutrition
Mindy
Hi there! Looks like a great recipe and am excited to try it! Real quick… I don’t see the amount of blueberries required in the recipe list. Would love to know how much to use. 🙂 Thanks!!
ONE armed MAMA
Oh my gosh ?♀️ thank you so much for bringing this to my attention!! I accidentally omitted the 1/2 pint or 1 cup of fresh blueberries from the recipe card! Thanks again and I will update asap
Marlynn | Urban Bliss Life
Such a beautiful, hearty salad! Love the addition of blueberry flavors to a savory dish.
Amy | The Cook Report
This looks so fresh and healthy and I love the flavour combination!
Caroline
Love the idea of a blueberry-based marinade. And mint pairs so well with the other flavors too.
Veena Azmanov
Love Salads for Dinner and this marinade is unique and surely taste delicious too. Thanks for your recipe.
Tawnie Kroll
loving these process shots!!