Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad

This Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad recipe is a combination of marinated chicken, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and fresh herbs all tossed with our Mediterranean vinaigrette. 

Our Chicken and Quinoa Salad is a great meal prep recipe for lunch or dinner. It is filling, flavorful, and we make it at least once a week. And to keep things easy, the Mediterranean dressing we use doubles as a marinade.  

Why We Love This Salad

• Flavors. This salad has a great combo of classic Mediterranean flavors.  
• Meal Prep. This is a great meal prep recipe. Just cook the quinoa and the dressing ahead of time and store them separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to pull the salad together.
• Easy to Make. This salad is an easy one to make, and it comes together in about 40 minutes start-to-finish. 

Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad Recipe Ingredients

• Marinade. We use a simple Mediterranean vinaigrette that doubles as a marinade.
• Chicken. We use boneless and skinless chicken thighs for this salad.
• Quinoa. We use white quinoa for this salad, but you can use tri-color if you like. 
• Fresh herbs. A combo of fresh mint and parsley adds a nice pop of flavor.
• Red onion. You can use green onion if you prefer it over red onion. You can soak sliced onions in water for about 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Soaking onions in water helps to mellow the flavor quite a bit.
• Tomatoes.  We like to use heirloom or regular cherry tomatoes, but you can chop up regular garden tomatoes to toss in if you don’t have cherry tomatoes on hand. 
• Marinated artichoke hearts. We love to add marinated artichoke hearts to this salad.
• Kalamata olives. Kalamata olives also add a lot of flavor to this salad. 
• Cucumber. We love the freshness and crunch of cucumber in this salad. We use either English cucumber or Persian cucumbers because they’re crispier, more flavorful and they don’t have to be peeled. 
• Cheese. Feta cheese adds a little creaminess to the overall texture of the salad. It’s also a classic ingredient used in Mediterranean cuisine. 

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

Variations

• Cheese. Sprinkle in grated Parmesan cheese instead of Feta. 
• Add-Ins. Add sun-dried tomatoes (jarred or these homemade sun dried tomatoes), pepperoncini, chopped kale or spinach, and/or chickpeas.

How to Make Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad

1. Make the Marinade. Add all ingredients for the marinade into a wide-mouth mason jar, seal with a lid, and shake well to blend.  You can also use an immersion blender (stick blender) to blend the ingredients in a wide mouth mason jar.
2. Prep Chicken. Using a paper towel, pat the chicken on both sides to remove moisture before you marinate it.
3. Marinate Chicken. Place the chicken in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Pour 1/4 cup of the marinade over the chicken, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. 
4. Cook Quinoa. Rinse quinoa, unless packaging indicates “pre-rinsed,” and then add it to a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer; cook until water has completely evaporated. Let cool and then fluff with a fork.
5. Cook Chicken. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Add chicken thighs, searing them on both sides until golden brown. Cook chicken for  
6. Toss Salad. Add the cooked quinoa, sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onion, and artichoke hearts to a bowl and toss. Add the cooked chicken and drizzle with dressing and toss again.

Tips for Cooking Marinated Chicken Thighs

1. Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel before adding them to hot oil. 
2. Heat your oil before you add chicken to the pan. 
3. Allow each piece of chicken to cook for at least 5 – 7 minutes without moving it; this will ensure you get that nice golden brown on both sides. 
4. When the chicken has cooked through, remove the pan from heat, but leave the chicken in the pan  to cool for about 3 to 5 minutes before cutting. 

More Quinoa Salad Recipes

• Fall Quinoa Salad
• Strawberry Quinoa Salad
• Watermelon Arugula Quinoa Salad
• Tomato Basil Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Best Quinoa Salad
• Strawberry Quinoa Salad

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Yield: 4 Servings

Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

This Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad recipe is a combination of marinated chicken, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and fresh herbs all tossed with our Mediterranean vinaigrette. 

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1-1/2 cup English cucumber, sliced
• 1-1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup red onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced in half
• 1/3 cup Feta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup vinaigrette

For the Vinaigrette

• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients for the vinaigrette into a wide-mouth mason jar, seal with a lid, and shake well to blend.  You can also use an immersion blender (stick blender) to blend the ingredients in a wide mouth mason jar.
2. Using a paper towel, pat the chicken on both sides to remove moisture before you marinate it. Place the chicken in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Pour 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette over the chicken, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. 
3. While the chicken is marinating, rinse quinoa, unless packaging indicates "pre-rinsed," and then add 1 cup uncooked quinoa to a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer until water has evaporated. Remove from heat, leaving lid on the pot. Let cool in pot for 7-10 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Let cool completely before tossing with salad ingredients.
4. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Remove chicken thighs from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Add the thighs to the skillet and sear them on both sides. Cook chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side or until no longer pink on the inside. Transfer to a cutting board and let the chicken cool completely before chopping or slicing for the salad.
5. Add the quinoa, sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, Kalamata olives, red onion, and artichoke hearts to a large serving bowl and toss. Add the cooked chicken and feta cheese and drizzle salad with dressing and toss again.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 960Total Fat: 88gSaturated Fat: 18gUnsaturated Fat: 70gCholesterol: 185mgSodium: 1228mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 5gSugar: 6gProtein: 36g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.