Quinoa Chicken Salad

The Gourmet Ingredients

Today we are going to enjoy the experience of taking an ordinary chicken salad and journeying over to flavortown using special ingredients.

Even a simple chicken salad is usually perfect at hitting the spot. With the addition of Quinoa into the recipe, we get to enjoy the fact we are adding a superfood to help nourish our bodies.

#Live to Be 100 Years Old

There are 101 ways to make chicken salad, so I will not say this is the best recipe ever; you be the judge 🙂

Do you know what Watercress is?

Allow me to introduce you 🙂

Watercress is a green herb that has strong fresh herbal presents. Using Watercress is sure to wake up any dish. We hear about brightening and adding a fresh element to recipes and all the time. Try giving Watercress a try soon. Even better, try using it in this recipe :). If you cannot find Watercress or just do not like it, you can replace it with parsley or cilantro.

One of the keynotes of Watercress is the noticeable peppery taste. Yet, not a hot peppery burn your tough experience. It’s an accent of pepper with a fresh undertone.

Here’s a photo of what Watercress looks like…

Health Benefits of Watercress

Thyroid Health, Fight Colorectal Cancer, Cardiovascular Health, Bone Health, Calcium, Folate, Antidepressant, Stroke Prevention, Cognition/Brain, Vitamin C, Eyesight, Common Cold, Pediatric Asthma.

Step One – Making The Quinoa Chicken Salad

Cooking The Chicken

You have a few options here. Easy peasy would be buying a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store. Or you could roast your own whole chicken. I like roasting my own, so you can control the seasoning in the chicken salad.

Here is Butter-n-Thyme’s recipe for the Perfect Roast Chicken every time.

Click photo below for recipe

Step Two

Cut Up the Vegetables & Chicken

WaterCress

Apple 2 Tbsp

Quartered Grapes 2 Tbsp

Small Dice Red Onion 2-3 Tbsp ( Personal Choice )

Quartered Grape Tomatoes 2 Tbsp

Combining Ingredients

The key is adding the tomatoes last. If you add the tomatoes too early in the mixing process the tomatoes will burst and lose their beautiful shape.

Start by adding the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper and combine coating all the chicken.  Then you can add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Lastly, add the tomatoes and combine gently.

Plating the Quinoa Chicken Salad could be done a million ways. In the video below at the end, I show you a colorful option for plating.

Quinoa Chicken Salad