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a plate of kale and quinoa salad with a fork resting on the plate
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4.72 from 67 votes

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Kale and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette - Chunks of tender chicken, sweet raisins, fresh parmesan cheese and sunflower seeds amidst a bed of bright, fresh kale and quinoa. Paired with a stunning homemade lemon vinaigrette, this simple salad is the perfect healthy lunch.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: kale and quinoa salad, kale salad, lemon vinaigrette
Servings: 4
Calories: 503kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

  • ½ cup quinoa dry
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 pound chicken breasts cooked, skinless and boneless, chopped small
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pepper or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 5 cups kale chopped very small
  • ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • ¼ cup golden raisins
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated

Lemon Vinaigrette

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup lemon juice fresh
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper ground
  • 1 teaspoon oregano dried
  • 1 teaspoon honey
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Start by combining 1 cup of water with the dry quinoa in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low, let it simmer for about 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender. If there's any water left, make sure you drain the quinoa first.
  • While the quinoa is cooking, you can prepare the chicken. Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces, season with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook for about 8 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink but it's just starting to brown a bit. Remove chicken from skillet and let cool.
  • In a large bowl toss together the kale, cooked chicken, quinoa, sunflower seeds and raisins.

Lemon Vinaigrette

  • Whisk together all the ingredients for the lemon vinaigrette in a small bowl. Adjust salt and pepper as necessary.
  • Pour the vinaigrette over the kale salad and toss really well. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Notes

  1. The beauty of this kale and quinoa salad is that it will absorb the flavor of the lemon vinaigrette over time, tasting even better the next day! Covered and stored in the fridge, it will keep for 3-5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 865mg | Potassium: 1002mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 8470IU | Vitamin C: 86mg | Calcium: 331mg | Iron: 4mg