BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad is fresh, healthy, and full of protein, flavor, and texture! Perfect for lunch or dinner.
Have you ever come up with a fabulous idea for a recipe and thought to yourself, I’m a genius! — only to realize after Googling said idea that you’re the millionth person to the party?
Yeah, me too.
Always looking for a new way to use quinoa in my cooking, as it’s an ingredient my husband and I can both agree on (unlike onions, cream cheese, eel, squash, cool whip, chevre, peanut noodles, or mushrooms) and can’t be beat in the nutritional department, I thought —
What if I paired quinoa with summer staples like grilled chicken and corn then drizzled it with a cool dressing of sweet BBQ sauce and creamy Greek yogurt, and called it thebestthingeverrrr?!
Well, I can tell you why it’s a popular idea — BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad is unreal!
Full of over-the-top flavors like smoky grilled corn and sweet BBQ sauce, plus protein-packed ingredients like grilled chicken, creamy black beans, and fluffy quinoa, BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad is a healthy and delicious party on a plate.
Use leftover grilled chicken and corn from your last BBQ, or even rotisserie chicken and frozen corn to get BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad to your table even faster.
No matter the method, the fresh and satisfying flavors will still shine through.
Start by adding pre-rinsed quinoa and chicken broth to a small saucepan then bring it to a boil. Place a lid on top then turn the heat to low and simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes or until tender.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork then set it aside.
Meanwhile, grill chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper, plus a couple ears of sweet corn over medium-high heat. The chicken should take about 4-5 minutes a side, and the corn will take just as long. A match made in grilling heaven!
Let the chicken cool for a few minutes then shred or chop it up. Toss with enough of your favorite BBQ sauce to coat then set aside.
Next, slice the charred kernels off the cob.
To make the BBQ sauce drizzle that goes on top of the dish, simply stir together equal amounts of BBQ sauce and plain Greek yogurt.
Top the cooked quinoa with the shredded BBQ chicken and grilled corn then add black beans and shredded cheddar cheese. Pop the dish in the microwave for 20 seconds to melt the cheese (if you want) then drizzle with the BBQ sauce dressing and top with chopped cilantro.
Finally, devour!
I don’t know what I love best — how filling or how flavorful this dish is!
Each bite is more interesting than the last. This is a fantastic summer lunch or dinner recipe – enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, pre-rinsed
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 chicken breasts, ~1lb, pounded to an even thickness
- salt and pepper
- 2 ears sweet corn, 1 cup frozen sweet corn kernels
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, plus more for chicken
- chopped fresh cilantro, for topping
Directions
- Add quinoa and chicken broth to a small saucepan then bring to a boil over high heat. Place a lid on top, turn heat to low, then cook until quinoa is tender, 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork then set aside to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper then grill over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes a side, or until no longer pink in the center. (Alternatively you could saute or poach the chicken, or use leftover or rotisserie chicken.) Add corn cobs to the grill at the same time then rotate every couple of minutes to evenly char on all sides. Remove chicken and corn to a plate then let cool slightly. Shred or cut chicken into cubes, then mix with enough BBQ sauce to coat. Slice kernels off the cob then set aside.
- Mix together Greek yogurt and BBQ sauce in a bowl. Evenly divide the cooked quinoa, BBQ chicken, grilled corn, black beans, and shredded cheese between four plates. Drizzle with yogurt and BBQ sauce mixture, then garnish with chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I also wear a lot of Ann Taylor Loft, due to their petite section. I don’t wear JCrew because I can’t quite bring myself to spend that much and their pants/skirts/dresses NEVER fit me. You always look nice on your blog – I think you do have fashion sense!
Love Target when we are the States, but here I shop mainly at H&M, Old Navy and RW&Co.
Do you have a Bealls? They have a great petite dept. also! My daughter & I have been buying most of ours from there! That outfit did look wonderful on you with your dark hair!
Great recipe!
That meal looks outstanding and I’m planning to make it this weekend!
I LOVE Banana Republic, Gap, Francesca’s, and the LOFT.
My faves are Ann Taylor and Banana Republic. I actually think the Loft is no longer associated with Ann Taylor, it’s just The Loft.
That salad looks amazing!! Do you use 1 chicken breast for both you and Ben!
Yeah. With the beans, quinoa, and cheese, it is plenty filling!
Thats great. I’m still learning how to cook for two.
you definitely looked like a doll in that outfit! I have the jacket…but it is a million degrees in nashville and I over heat easily so its gonna have to wait till fall…fail!
most of my shopping is done at marshalls,tjmaxx, macys and francescas. They have some amazingly adorable dresses right now. i want them all!
Love the idea for this meal!! And the feed adam quinoa sounds like an amazing organization :)
Your outfit is so cute!
I had been eating tons of quinoa over the last couple of years, but suddenly a couple of months ago I started to have terrible stomach cramps after eating it. I discovered I am allergic or intolerant to quinoa. Totally bummed! :(
Any good ideas for a quinoa substitute? This recipe is totally up my alley!!
I bet it would also be really good (and lower carb) just served over a big bed of greens!
You could mix it up with some small cut pasta!
This looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it!
Anything with “barbecue chicken” in the name sounds like a winner to me.
Speaking of which, the BBQ chicken salad is back at Noodles and Co. this summer!! Have you tried it? It’s delish.
I haven’t – sounds awesome though!!
Looks delicious! I’ll have to try that sometime this week, although I’ve used up my last bit of Cookies BBQ sauce. I wish they sold it out here in California (along with Blue Bunny Ice Cream!). Oh yeah, and Dilly Bars from Dairy Queen. . .
That sauce looks great! I don’t eat chicken, but I think I could make this great with marinaded tofu! I like Ann Taylor a lot! I buy most of my clothes though from LOFT. Same company, but the clothes seem more casual which is great for my work style. Also, you look gorgeous, and definitely like you have fashion sense.