Need a quick and easy dinner idea that is just as easy to prepare as it is to cook? This simple skillet chicken with a quinoa salad is recipe you are going to make over and over again.
A busy schedule doesn't have to mean skipping dinner as a family. This easy recipe can be on the table in less than 30 minutes and you can get back to your people.
Skillet Herb Chicken with Easy Quinoa Salad
Raise your hand if you love quick and easy meals?! I'm totally with you. Life generally has lots of things going on, and whether it's getting kids to baseball games or staying late at the pool, your time is valuable.
Today I'm working with AdapTable Meals (for a second year in a row!) on this delicious recipe. AdapTable Meals is know for their high-quality pre-seasoned meats. Their meat always cooks up beautifully and the flavor is amazing. I love that I don't have to worry about making sure I've seasoned or marinated my meat, because that step is done for me.
This recipe uses AdapTable Meals Tomato Herb Chicken Breast that you cook up (skillet or grill) and serve on top of a simple quinoa salad made with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, olives, and spinach. It's a hearty complete meal that only takes a few minutes to put together.
If you are looking for a way to get some meal prep done, without any prepping on your part, I highly recommend AdapTable Meals. You'll love the quality, flavor, and how nicely the products cook up. It's one less step for you to worry about!
Frequently Asked Questions:
This quinoa salad is made with cooke quinoa, chickpeas, chopped sundried tomatoes, olives, fresh spinach, and a simple vinegrette made out of the olive brine and the oil the tomatoes come it! It's simple and so filling when topped with that lovely tomato herb chicken breast.
The chicken breast from AdapTable Meals are nicely sized and already seasoned which makes them really easy to cook on the stove top in a skillet or on the grill. You can use whichever you prefer or is easier for you.
For this recipe you can precook the quinoa a day or two ahead of time. You'll also be saving time by purchasing AdapTable Meals chicken which is already seasoned. You don't need to do much else to get this meal on the table.
More easy chicken recipes:
If you’ve tried this easy homemade chicken and quinoa salad recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation.
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Skillet Herb Chicken with Easy Quinoa Salad
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Fast, Easy, Delicious! 30- Minute Herb Chicken and Quinoa Salad is an easy dinner recipe your whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 package AdapTable Meals Tomato Herb Chicken Breast Filets, 16 ounces
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped (reserve oil they come with)
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup kalamata olives, cut in half
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoon olive brine (the juice in the jar of olives)
- 2 tablespoons oil reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste (about ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper)
- 2 cups fresh spinach, lightly chopped
Instructions
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In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the quinoa, reduce the heat to medium, cover with a lid, and allow the quinoa to simmer until cooked through and all of the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
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While the quinoa is cooking, heat a skillet (cast iron is preferred) over medium to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan.
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Add the chicken to the pan and cover with a lid.
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Cook the chicken filets in the covered skillet for 4-6 minutes, flip, cook an additional 5-10 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer.
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While the quinoa and chicken are cooking, add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, and olives to a large bowl. Toss to combine.
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When the quinoa is done cooking, remove it from the heat and add it to the bowl with the olives.
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Dress the quinoa with the juice of one lemon, olive brine, reserved oil, dried thyme, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
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When the chicken is done cooking, let it rest on a cutting board for 3 minutes.
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While the chicken is resting, add the spinach to the quinoa and toss to combine. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste again.
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Slice the chicken into strips.
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Serve by placing some of the quinoa salad on a plate and top with one sliced chicken filet.
Notes
- This chicken is excellent on the grill too. Cook filets on the grill for 4-6 minutes, flip, cook an additional 5-10 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer. Easy!
- I love the olives in this salad and always add more to my serving; feel free to do the same.
- If you want to adjust the salt or oil in the salad, just add more brine or oil from the sun-dried tomatoes to taste. I love using the oil from the tomatoes in the dish to try everything together.
- This salad is super flexible, so feel free to add what you like or don’t add something if you don’t like it. It would be great with chopped sweet bell peppers and feta if you have it.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: main dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chicken quinoa salad, quinoa salad, quinoa salad with chicken, healthy chicken recipe, chicken and quinoa recipe
Discloser: This post is sponsored by Adaptable Meals. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Bless this Mess possible and that I’ve thoughtfully chosen to work with.
I hope that you enjoy this recipe and make it as often in your home as we make it in ours. I hope you find it a real time saver too, so that you can spend that extra time with the people you love the most.
Julie C
I made this for dinner last night and it was quite delicious! I only had non-seasoned chicken breast, so I added some Italian seasoning and a lime pepper rub that we had and cooked it in the air fryer. The salad is very yummy and the leftovers heat up well. I would also considered just making the salad to bring to potlucks sans chicken.
★★★★★
Melissa
Thank you for sharing! I like the salad a lot too, I'll often make it for easy lunches too!