Chicken Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
2 cooked chicken breasts – sliced or shredded
½ cup (90 g) uncooked white quinoa
1 cup (250 ml) water – for cooking the quinoa
¼ cup (25 g) flaked almonds
2 ribs celery – sliced thinly on the diagonal
3 spring onions – sliced thinly on the diagonal – white and some green part
1 medium avocado – cut into small cubes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
For the Dressing:
⅓ cup (80 ml) Greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil See Note 3
6 teaspoon (30 ml) lemon juice – freshly squeezed
1 teaspoon honey
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
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.
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.
Notes
If you prefer, you could also use leftover Roast Chicken or any other protein.
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.
Ensure that the dish is adequately seasoned to your liking, to bring out the best flavour.