If you ever find yourself with leftover grilled chicken, this fast and easy recipe is for you! Pairing grilled chicken with quinoa, zucchini, tomato, spinach, dried currants, and pumpkin seeds, it comes together in a flash. The recipe is full of flavor and in my opinion, pretty healthy. I’ve written the recipe up to serve one person, but you can easily multiply it for a few people.
Ingredients:
- One chicken breast, grilled, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- ½ Cup, cooked quinoa
- ½ cup, zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 vine-ripened cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ tbsp dried currants
- ½ tbsp pumpkin seeds
- A generous handful or two of spinach
- Salt, pepper, garlic, cumin to taste
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, bbq sauce to taste
Instructions:
- Chicken: This recipe was inspired by a surplus of leftover grilled chicken. However, you could cook a chicken breast or chicken thigh on the grill, stovetop or even roasted in the oven as needed to prepare this. As a city dweller without a grill, my favorite way to cook chicken is to roast chicken thighs in my oven on the grill setting seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic. The cooking time for me varies on if I do a single piece or an entire tray, but usually, 12-15 minutes is enough depending on 1-2 vs. 5-6 chicken thighs on a baking sheet. I typically make an entire package at once to speed up my meal preparation during busy weekdays and weeknights.
- Quinoa: I had already made quinoa when I made this lunch, however, quinoa is fairly quick and easy to make as well. I know in the US there are plenty of pre-made or fast cooking options. However, as I live in the UK, I simply purchase it raw/uncooked. To make quinoa, I will put one cup of uncooked quinoa with two cups of water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, you reduce the heat to a simmer and wait for the rest of the water to burn off and it’s done! One call-out – definitely watch the pot, as I find that the quinoa has a tendency to spill out over the saucepan just as it comes to a boil and it can get a bit messy.
- Zucchini: I’ve discovered a great hack to prevent mushy zucchini. I simply chop it up into bite-sized pieces and put it into a frying pan on medium heat with cooking spray on it (I use an olive oil based cooking spray, but it’s your call on which you use). I then sprinkle in a dash of salt, pepper, garlic and cumin and wait for it to cook / char a bit on one side, stirring the pan every so often for it to cook evenly. As it chars up a bit, I then taste test a piece (I like my zucchini al dente) and it’s done.
- Tomatoes: I love the taste of raw vine-ripened cherry tomatoes (aka the ones that come on the vine in the supermarket). I simply slice these in half and top the salad with them. However, if you love to cook your tomatoes a bit or roast them, go for it! This recipe would also be great with sundried tomatoes, but I would probably recommend you go light or omit the dried currants then, as it may be too many sweet ingredients.
- Dried currants and pumpkin seeds: I had these on hand as leftovers from another recipe and added the dried currants for a touch of sweetness. You could easily swap in raisins instead. Instead of pumpkin seeds, I think sliced almonds could also work nicely in this recipe.
Assembly:
- Start by filling your plate with a generous handful or two of your favorite greens. Spinach is my favorite, but any salad greens would work.
- In a small bowl, combine the chopped grilled chicken, quinoa, zucchini, tomatoes, dried currants, and pumpkin seeds.
- Season to taste. I typically add 1-2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin – just light sprinkles of each.
- Pour mixtures onto the plate, either on top of or alongside the spinach.
- Drizzle with any other seasonings as desired. I love a drizzle of BBQ sauce, but I also think honey mustard, balsamic vinegar or aioli would be really nice on top if you want to pack an extra flavor punch to this salad.
Buon Appetito!
For more of my recipes, visit: https://thesavvybostonian.com/category/recipes/