Blueberry Chicken Quinoa Salad

Blueberry Chicken Quinoa Salad is a kale quinoa salad recipe with fresh berries and homemade blueberry salad dressing!

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• Summer salad recipe
• Ingredients
• Step by step instructions
• How to store
• 📖 Recipe

Summer salad recipe

This summer quinoa salad recipe is made quickly with grilled chicken and leftover quinoa. No need to heat the kitchen with this recipe! It’s a perfect light and delicious grilled summer salad recipe.

Using 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 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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. Meanwhile, cook quinoa and spread out on a baking sheet to cool quickly. Or simply use leftover cooked quinoa if you have it.
4. Then grill chicken until lightly charred on the outside and evenly cooked throughout. Set chicken aside.
5. Meanwhile, turn the remaining blueberry marinade into a homemade blueberry salad dressing. Whisk remaining olive oil into the reserved blueberry marinade until completely combined.

6. 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. Soggy quinoa is not a problem with this quinoa salad recipe.
7. 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.
8. Enjoy!

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.

📖 Recipe

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