Grilled Chicken and Quinoa Salad with Apple-Cumin Vinaigrette

A bowl of quinoa salad iwth chicken, pine nutes, apples, radishes, and greens.

5 from 3 votes

Grilled Chicken and Quinoa Salad with Apple-Cumin Vinaigrette

Tender, juicy grilled chicken tops cooked quinoa tossed with plump raisins, ribbons of nutritious lacinato kale, shreds of crunchy red cabbage, and crisp radish slices all tumbled with a tangy apple-cumin vinaigrette loaded with chunks of tart Granny Smith apple.

I used red quinoa, but you can use whatever type you have on hand. Do be sure to use lacinato (aka dinosaur) kale rather than the curly type, which isn't tender enough to serve raw.

Course Salad Recipes

Cuisine American

Keyword quinoa salad

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 418kcal

Author Robin Donovan

Ingredients

For the chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breast fillets (about 1 ¼ pounds)
Salt and pepper
¼ cup apple cider vinegar

For the quinoa

¾ cup quinoa
1 ½ cups water
3 tablespoons raisins

For the vinaigrette

¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon salt
1 Granny Smith apple peeled and diced small
1/3 cup olive oil

For the salad

4 radishes trimmed, halved, and thinly sliced
½ bunch lacinato or dinosaur kale julienned
¼ head red cabbage julienned
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts for garnish

Instructions

To prepare the chicken, season the fillets generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Place them in a dish and pour the vinegar over them. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, cook the quinoa. Combine the quinoa and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the grains are tender and most of the water has been absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the raisins.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Heat a lightly oiled grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (you could also use an oven-safe skillet). Remove the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade, and grill until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to the oven (if you are using an oven-safe skillet or grill pan, you can transfer the whole thing to the oven. Otherwise, place the chicken in a baking dish.) Cook for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the oven, transfer to a cutting board, and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice into 1/8-inch-thick pieces.
While the chicken is cooking, make the vinaigrette and the salad. To make the vinaigrette, in a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, honey, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Stir in the apple and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir in the olive oil.
To make the salad, add the radishes, kale, and cabbage to the quinoa and mix well. Add the dressing and toss until well combined.
Serve the salad in individual serving bowls and top with the chicken strips. Garnish with the pine nuts and serve immediately.

Nutrition