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.
Just made this and it was amazing! Thank you!
I’m going to try this for sure! How many does the servings you provided serve? Is this just a one person serving?
The recipe serves 4!
From one Iowa girl to another…I made this tonight as we are on a weight loss kick. Both of us looooved it! Next time I will be sure to get some local corn to grill. That will put it over the top! Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe.
Planning on making this for supper this week. I love bbq chicken salads at restaurants, and I just got into quinoa. Seems like a great combo! Right now I have chicken marinading in some bbq sauce and will grill it up tonight…
OMG!! This was so very good ! Keep the recipes coming :-) I make it every Wednesday now lol
This was fantastic AND my husband declared it a keeper! The only thing I did differently is that I cooked the quinoa with 1.5 cupss broth instead of the 2 cups. Simmered it for 13 minutes and then let it sit in the pot for 10 minutes without peeking. Using 1.5 parts liquid to one part quinoa delivers the most fluffy light quinoa ever.
Wow! That was great! I left out the cheese & also used Veganaise mixed with BBQ sauce for drizzle on top instead of Greek yogurt because I didn’t have any. And I added a few more veggies & olives to the salad. I also wanted to top it with sliced avocado but I forgot so next time. YUM!! I put the salad in a measuring cup press down slightly not to crush & it comes out of the measuring cup like a perfect mound & then I added the chicken around the mound & topped with drizzle & garnished with cilantro :) Thank you!!!
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve been married 18 years and my husband said this is one of the best things I’ve ever made. And my kids ate it! Yaay!
Thanks for the great ideas. I am trying to make quinoa a diet staple. I’m going to modify this a bit and mix the quinoa with a califlower risotto.
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My husband and I made this tonight. One word – amazing! Thanks for sharing. And I love the dress and blazer!
I made it for lunch today. Love the greek yogurt and bbq sauce!!!
Oh my gosh, this looks ah-mazing! I’m big on LOFT too :)
Definitely adding this to my quinoa repertoire!!
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