Chili Lime Chicken Quinoa Salad with Crispy Shallots (Edit recipe)

This delicious and satisfying chicken quinoa salad checks all the boxes for flavor and texture. Topped with mouthwatering crispy shallots and a simple homemade honey lime-roasted shallot dressing, this healthy salad is the perfect warm weather meal.

20 minutes to 25 minutes

Difficulty:

Intermediate

Show nutritional information

This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:	1070
Fat:	36 g
Carbohydrates:	146 g
Protein:	52 g
Cholesterol:	142 g
Sodium:	596 mg
Fiber:	15 g
Sugars:	12 g
Calculated for total recipe.

by foodallergymoms_andmore

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

4.5 cups Tri-Color Quinoa, Cooked and cooled
2 whole Sweet Potato, Sliced into 1/2-inch- thick rounds
6 whole Shallot, Peeled and quartered
5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Divided use
1 tsp Kosher Salt
2.5 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Sliced into 1-inch cubes
2 tsp Chili Lime Seasoning
1.5 cups Red Cabbage, Chopped
2 Tbsp Cilantro, Fresh cilantro; chopped
0.666 cup Organic Dried Cranberries
4 - 5 Tbsp Lime Juice, Juice from 2 limes; for dressing
1 Tbsp Honey, For dressing
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar, For dressing
0.75 tsp Kosher Salt, For dressing
6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, For dressing

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Process

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

Add cooked quinoa to a large bowl; set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line large, rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Place sweet potato rounds on sheet pan in a single layer, followed by shallots in their own section of sheet pan. Use 3 Tbsp olive oil to coat both sides of sweet potato rounds and shallots. Sprinkle with 1 Tsp salt. Roast in oven 20-25 minutes, or until soft.
Meanwhile, heat large, nonstick skillet over medium heat and coat with remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil. Place cubed chicken pieces in hot skillet, sprinkle 1 Tsp chili lime seasoning over chicken. Cook about 5-6 minutes, then turn cubed chicken pieces over with fork. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tsp chili lime seasoning over cubed chicken. Cook additional 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove cooked chicken to plate.
Add red cabbage to bowl with quinoa, followed by chopped cilantro and cranberries; stir to combine.
Remove skins of sweet potato rounds (they will peel off easily). Slice sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to bowl with quinoa. Add cooked chicken; gently stir to combine.
To make dressing, add lime juice, honey, balsamic vinegar and salt to mason jar; whisk with fork. Squeeze out the middle parts of each crispy shallot (the interior part of the roasted shallots will be soft and almost gooey). *Reserve the crispy shallots (the outer part of roasted shallots) to top the salad.* Chop the soft middle parts only; add to mason jar; whisk again with fork. Pour in 6 Tbsp olive oil; whisk to combine. Pour dressing over salad; gently stir to combine.
Transfer quinoa salad to serving dish, if desired. Top with the crispy shallots. Serves 6-8 as a main meal. Terrific as leftovers for a few days.

Notes

Use boil-in-bag tri color quinoa that cooks in only 10 minutes. If using the quinoa in boil-in-bags, squeeze out excess water before opening bags to remove quinoa. Keep in a covered container in fridge for up to 4 days. Gluten-free. Dairy-free. Egg-free. Nut-Free.