I hope all of my U.S. friends had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! We had lots of sunshine and spent time at the pool, riding bikes in the neighborhood, eating lunch on the screened-in porch, playing with our sweet chocolate lab Dixie and just generally relaxing. Pretty much fabulous all around and has me looking forward to the long days of summer stretching out before us! (Granted, our schedules get a little crazy with the kids off of school but me still working my full-time job as a health and nutrition editor. We’ll be shuttling them around to different camps here and there and trying to keep up with the constantly changing routines. Eek!)
But this unofficial start to summer also means we are in salad season! You know my healthy-eating-loving heart is doing backflips for this! I adore all the fresh summer produce and love putting together quick and easy salads for lunch, dinner, picnics - anytime! Some recent faves we’ve had on hand include my healthy basil chicken salad, tuna spinach salad, southwestern orzo salad and quinoa spinach salad with pesto. All can be made ahead for a delicious lunch or can serve as a light dinner. And I’ve got a new go-to favorite to add to the list: this BBQ chicken quinoa salad!
It’s great for spring and summer when you really just want to arrange a pretty bowl of delicious food and dig in, without all the cooking or fussing. (See above about the crazy schedules!) Because I know that days when we are staying outside later to play and run around, or going to the pool for the afternoon, we come home hungry and ready to eat! I can get away with feeding the kids some leftovers or just pull something together quickly for them, before we do baths and reading and brushing teeth and bedtime. But then my husband and I still want to have a proper dinner – and I’m wiped! And hungry. And craving something filling but healthy, light but delicious.
Ta-da! Just mix together a few simple ingredients and you can tuck into these tasty bowls with bold BBQ-coated chicken, soft, fluffy quinoa, fresh veggies and a creamy yogurt sauce to pull it all together. You’ll be happily hunting down a little bit of every ingredient for every bite. Ah, I love that! This is also a great meal-prep recipe because you can cook extra quinoa and chicken over the weekend or on another night when you’re making those and then these salad bowls will literally take you minutes to put together. Score! (You might also love this BBQ salmon salad for another healthy and delicious lunch or light dinner.) You can also make this as a lunch bowl (your office mates will be so jealous!) or pack it for a picnic.
Notes on BBQ chicken quinoa salad:
The quinoa needs to be cooked and cooled for this recipe, so plan accordingly. You can use some leftover baked or grilled chicken or pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store to use in this recipe. You can use homemade BBQ sauce or your favorite store-bought variety. (Trader Joe’s has a couple that I like that don’t have high-fructose corn syrup or an overload of sugar.) I’ve made this with and without the corn and it’s great both ways, so feel free to omit if you don’t have any.
As for toppings, you could definitely add some avocado slices to this. You could also add some shredded or cubed cheddar cheese if you want. And here’s an easy recipe for quick pickled red onions if you want to use those - I love having a jar on hand in the fridge! I hope you give these BBQ chicken quinoa salad bowls a try, either to mix up your lunch routine or to make a super easy dinner on a busy night. Happy cooking - or assembling! XO, Kathryn
The quinoa needs to be cooked and cooled for this recipe, so plan accordingly. You can use some leftover baked or grilled chicken or pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store to use in this recipe. You can use homemade BBQ sauce or your favorite store-bought variety. I’ve made this with and without the corn and it’s great both ways, so feel free to omit if you don’t have any. My husband is allergic to avocado but you could definitely add some avocado slices to this salad. You could also add some shredded or cubed cheddar cheese. Here’s an easy recipe for quick pickled red onions if you want to use those.
