Incredible Thai Chicken Quinoa Salad paired with a sweet & savory peanut dressing! This flavorful salad is packed with fresh mango, carrots, red bell pepper, green onions, crunchy cashews, and curry marinated chicken for a delicious meal prep lunch.

We’re finally to the very last recipe of the #AKSaladChallenge… and it’s my most favorite recipe of all them all.

Before we get into the salad, I hope that you’ve enjoyed these easy, protein-packed meal prep friendly salads full of veggies, fiber and protein. They’re great to keep and come back to again and again.

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This Thai Chicken Quinoa Salad is packed with quiona, chicken, fruit and veggies to ensure that you hit almost every food group. It’s sweet, savory and comes with an addicting peanut dressing.

THINGS TO NOTE:

+If you’re vegetarian, no worries! Simply swap chicken for 1 can of chickpeas or add tofu.

+I’ve also included instructions on how to bake your chicken instead of grill it in the notes section below.

SEE HOW TO MAKE THE THAI CHICKEN QUINOA SALAD:

I hope you love this simple, easy thai chicken quinoa salad. Layer the salad up in large mason jars or throw it in meal prep containers for an on the go lunch or dinner. ENJOY! xo.

**Please note, we’re aware of a current recall of romaine lettuce in the U.S. Please feel free to use spinach in place of romaine in this recipe, and read more about the recall here. 

Want more salads like this one? Try these:

Balsamic Chicken Berry Quinoa Salad

Southwest Chicken Salad with Chipotle Greek Yogurt Dressing

Greek Chickpea Chicken Salad

5.0 from 2 reviews

Thai Chicken Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing

 

Author: Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Nutrition Information

• Serves: 4

• Serving size: 1 salad with dressing
• Calories: 406

• Fat: 18.4g
• Saturated fat: 2.5g
• Carbohydrates: 29.7g
• Sugar: 11.7g
• Fiber: 4.6g
• Protein: 25.5g

Recipe type: Salad, Lunch, Gluten Free

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  15 mins

Total time:  30 mins

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Ingredients

• For the marinade:
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• For the dressing:
• ¼ cup natural creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger)
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2-4 tablespoons warm water, to thin dressing
• For the salad:
• 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper
• ¼ cup diced green onion
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¾ cup diced mango
• 2 cups romaine lettuce
• ¼ cup roasted cashews or honey roasted peanuts

Instructions

1. Add chicken and marinade ingredients to a large ziploc bag. Marinate chicken for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
2. While you are marinating your chicken, make your quinoa: Add 3/4 cup water to a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Then, stir in quinoa. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for exactly 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and let stand covered for another 5-10 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Quinoa will pop upon cooking and expand. To help separate the grains, use a fork and fluff the quinoa. Set aside.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, chop all your ingredients for your salad.
4. Next, make your Thai peanut dressing. Add all ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and mix until well-combined. Set aside.
5. Once ready to cook chicken, preheat grill to medium high heat. Lightly oil the grate. Grill chicken breasts for 6-8 minutes per side, or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink. Once chicken has cooked, transfer to a cutting board and dice into bite sized pieces.
6. Make the mason jar salads by dividing ingredients evenly between 4 (32-ounce) large mason jars in the following order: dressing, bell pepper, green onion, shredded carrots, cooked quinoa, cilantro, mango, chicken breast, romaine, cashews.
7. When ready to serve, pour contents from the mason jar onto a plate or into a bowl and enjoy! Makes 4 large mason jars.

Notes

To make vegetarian: sub 1 cup chickpeas or 1 package of extra firm tofu, cubed

To bake the chicken instead of grill: Bake chicken breasts on a greased baking sheet at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

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