Summer Salad with Quinoa, Chickpeas and Ginger Chicken

Coming back with another summer salad mix, this time I’d like to share one of my absolute favorites: quinoa, chickpeas and ginger flavored chicken! I love chicken, and I love spicy food in general, so I incorporated those into my recipe. For a vegetarian salad you can omit the chicken or replace it with tofu, cheddar cheese or the cheese of your choice.

Summer Salad with Quinoa Ingredients:
For one serving you’ll need:

– 1 cup of mixed baby lettuce and/or baby spinach

– 2 tbsp cooked quinoa

– 2 tbsp chickpeas (pre-cooked; if you cook them yourself, soak them overnight to reduce cooking time)

– 1 small cucumber, diced

– 1 tomato, diced

– 200g chicken breast

– 1 tsp ginger soy sauce

– 1 tsp oil

– oil for frying

– salt (I use aromatic salt with dried herbs and vegetables)

I usually cook a few cups of quinoa at a time and store it in the fridge in an air-tight container, it will last up to 3-4 days and I can use a little bit each time I need it for salads, smoothies, or even main dishes. Use one part quinoa for two parts water. Cook on low heat for about 15 min or until it becomes fluffy. Drain any excess water and fluff with a fork. You will need 2tbsp of cooked quinoa for this recipe; the rest you can store away to be used later.

Chop the chicken into small pieces. Preheat your favorite pan, add 3 teaspoons of oil (I use coconut oil), then add the chicken. Cook for about 10-15 min until it becomes slightly brown. Leave the lid on, so it comes out tender. Put it in a bowl and add the ginger soy sauce, mix. Add all other ingredients. I like to heat up the chickpeas too so that my salad is actually a bit warm. If you like yours cold, just wait for the cooked ingredients to cool off, and then add all the rest.

Have you ever made a spicy chicken summer salad? I’d love to try it, so please leave a comment!