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5 from 1 vote

Caprese Chicken Quinoa Salad

This caprese chicken quinoa salad is the perfect light and nourishing salad, with lots of protein! Made with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, chicken, quinoa, and drizzled in a homemade balsamic vinaigrette!
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 377kcal
Author: Denise Bustard

Ingredients

  • ¾ cups uncooked quinoa 2 cups cooked

Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon dijon
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • salt and pepper to taste

Caprese Chicken Salad

  • 2 cups cooked chicken 1 lb/16 oz; see note 1
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  • 4 handfulls spinach
  • ¼ cup fresh basil torn or chopped
  • ½ cup fresh mozzarella cut into small pieces; see note 2

Instructions

  • Quinoa- Cook quinoa according to package directions on the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in an Instant Pot (note 3).
    quinoa fluffed up after cooking in the rice cooker
  • Vinaigrette- In a jar or salad dressing shaker, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon, maple syrup and salt and pepper. Shake until completely combined.
    balsamic marinade in jar
  • Assemble- In each bowl, add: ½ cup cooked quinoa, 4 oz cooked chicken, a handful spinach leaves, ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes, 1 tablespoon torn basil leaves, 2 tablespoons fresh mozzarella pieces, ¼ batch of the balsamic vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. start with cooked, cooled chicken. You can use rotisserie chicken, or cook your own in the Instant Pot
  2. we used baby bocconcini, which is small, spherical-shaped fresh mozzarella. Alternatively, you could use buffalo mozzarella, burrata, or a typical ball of fresh mozzarella (cut down into bite-sized pieces).
  3. when cooking quinoa in the Instant Pot it's important to halve the cooking liquid
Storage
This recipe is part of a meal plan where we prepped the quinoa, chicken and dressing ahead of time. Here's how to store: 
  • cooked quinoa- store in fridge for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 3 months
  • cooked chicken- store in fridge for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 3 months
  • balsamic vinaigrette- store in fridge for up to 14 days; do not freeze

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 batch | Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 492mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 660IU | Vitamin C: 17.6mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 2.8mg