Kale, Chicken, and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing and Golden Raisins
This is a lovely little salad. It’s savory, sweet, and earthy, thanks to the intermingling flavors of lemon, golden raisins, kale and tahini. It’s creamy thanks to the avocado, and filling thanks to quinoa and garlicky chicken. If you cook the chicken and quinoa and make the dressing ahead of time, this turns into a delightful dairy free dinner in just a matter of minutes. Serve with a dry, citrusy pinot grigio.
Chicken tenders
Quinoa
Kale
Red oak leaf lettuce
Avocado
Golden raisins
Salt and pepper
Tahini
Olive oil
Water
Lemon
Garlic powder
*Note - I prepare more than one serving of chicken, quinoa and dressing at a time. The final measurements for the salad are portioned for one serving. Adjust accordingly depending on how many people are at your table.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Swirl chicken tenders in olive oil, salt and pepper, and a healthy shake of garlic powder. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place chicken tenders on top. Bake chicken for 25 minutes. I usually cook ~1 lb of chicken tenders at once to use in multiple salads.
To prepare quinoa, combine one cup quinoa with two cups water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until water is absorbed and quinoa is light and fluffy. Remove from heat and swirl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
I enjoy Cooking Light’s lemon tahini dressing: combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice (equivalent to juice from ½ a lemon), 2 tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons water, 1.5 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 7 twists salt and 10 twists pepper in a jar. Shake well to combine.
Shred and wash green curly kale and red oak leaf lettuce. Quinoa and chicken should be warm but not hot. Combine 1.5 cups kale and 1.5 cups lettuce in a large bowl with ¼ cup golden raisins, ½ cup cooked quinoa, ⅓ diced large avocado, 2 diced chicken tenders, and 2 tablespoons dressing. Massage with tongs to combine and serve!
