Greek Chicken and Vegetable Quinoa Salad

I LOVE any kind of Greek-inspired food, and this Greek chicken and vegetable quinoa salad is no exception! It's FULL of colorful vegetables that add delicious fresh flavor, and the chicken, chickpeas, and quinoa make it super filling. Though it CAN be served as a side dish, I'd say this salad has enough going on to count as well balanced meal all by itself!

How to Make Greek Chicken and Vegetable Quinoa Salad

1. You'll want to set aside time to chop all of the vegetables and fresh herbs. This salad contains cherry tomatoes, avocados, red and orange bell peppers, english cucumber, red onion, and fresh parsley. This may take a few minutes, but you can always chop them up ahead of time, and put them in the fridge until it's time to add the vegetables to the salad!
2. Cook the quinoa. I like to use vegetable broth because it adds great flavor. However, you can also use water or chicken broth if you don't have any vegetable broth on hand. Make sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking. Quinoa has a natural bitter coating that doesn't taste great--rinsing it helps to get rid of that residue.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the chicken. Season well with the listed ingredients, and then saute on the stove. Only flip the chicken once while cooking, and wait about 10 minutes after cooking before cutting the chicken into bite-size pieces. Both of these tips will help keep the chicken moist.
4. Saute the chickpeas. This step is completely optional--you can rinse the chickpeas off and add them directly to the salad. However, when I have extra time, I like to saute them and add a little bit of seasoning. This just takes a few minutes, and can add some extra flavor.
5. Prepare the dressing. This dressing has A LOT of flavor. It is pretty strong on its own, but when spread through such a large salad, it does a great job balancing all of the flavors and brightening up the meal.
6. Mix it all together. If you aren't planning on having tons of leftovers, go ahead and mix all of the dressing in. However, if you are planning to eat this several times over the span of a few days, I recommend only adding a little bit of dressing to the serving that you are planning to eat.

I you love quinoa, then you should also try these vegetarian stuffed bell peppers with quinoa--they are delicious!

If you try out this Greek chicken and vegetable quinoa salad or any of my other recipes, I’d LOVE to hear about it. You can leave a comment below the recipe, or if you post a picture on Instagram, be sure to tag me! Getting any feedback on my recipes is both rewarding AND helpful as I write and edit recipes in the future.

Now get cooking, and enjoy!

Print Recipe

Greek Chicken and Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Course: Salads

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 541kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cup quinoa
• 3 ½ cup vegetable broth
• 2-3 chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 can chickpeas (15.5 oz)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quarters
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 english cucumber, sliced and quartered
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 6 oz crumbled feta cheese
• ⅔ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Chicken Seasoning

• ¾ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried dill

Chickpea Seasoning (optional)

• salt
• ground black pepper
• garlic powder

Dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 6 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 3 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried dill
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil

Instructions

• Quinoa: Rinse the quinoa off in a strainer, and then add it to a large sauce pan. Add the vegetable broth, and bring it to a boil. Cover with a lid and turn down the heat to simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
• Chicken: Mix the chicken seasoning together in a small bowl. Add the olive oil to a large skillet and put on medium-high heat. Pound out the chicken so it's ½-3/4 inch thick. Sprinkle each side of the chicken with the seasoning. Add the chicken to the pan once it's hot. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is golden-brown on the bottom. Flip, and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165° F. Move the chicken to a plate and cover. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting into bite-sized pieces.
• Chickpeas (optional)*: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small frying pan on medium heat. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then add them to the frying pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook until they turn golden brown, stirring occasionally.
• Dressing: Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
• Assembly: Add the quinoa, chicken, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, avocados, red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, cucumber, onion, feta cheese, and parsley to a large bowl. Mix well. Add the dressing**, and mix until dressing is evenly distributed throughout. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

*I saute the chickpeas if I have some extra time. However, you can drain the can of chickpeas, rinse, then add them to the salad as is.

**If you aren't planning on having tons of leftovers, go ahead and mix all of the dressing in. However, if you are planning to eat this several times over the span of a few days, I recommend only adding a little bit of dressing to the serving that you are planning to eat.