Chili-Rubbed Chicken with Kale, Quinoa and Brussel Sprout Salad
This recipe was inspired by my local co-op. This one takes a little more time to make but the cool thing is that you can pre-make ALL the ingredients AHEAD OF TIME. Plus, it holds together so well, that you can have it for meals (especially lunch) for multiple days. It's one of my all-time favorites!
Equipment
- 1 Medium-sized saucepan
- 1 Food processor optional, but makes prep faster
- 1 Small-medium sized mixing bowl
- 1 Oven preheated at 375
- 1 Small mixing bowl (or mason jar with lid) for dressing
- 1 Large salad bowl for full salad
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 1 cup Dried quinoa Rinse or let soak in water for 5 minutes, then strain
- 4 Skinless chicken breasts Sliced for faster cooking
- 2 cups Brussel sprouts Trimmed and finely grated or sliced in very thin strips
- 1/4 cup Almonds slices or slivered Toasted in oven
- 2 Large bunches of kale Stems removed and finely grated or sliced in think strips
Other ingredients and toppings
- 1 Garlic clove Minced, grated or chopped finely
- 1 cup Cotjita, blue, gorganzola or goat cheese crumbles
- 1 tsp Fresh oregano OR 1/2tsp dried
- 2 pinches Salt and Pepper
Chipotle Powder
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 2 tsp Garlic salt
- 2 tsp Chili powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
Dressing
- 1/4 cup Lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tbsp Shallot About 1/2 of a whole shallot MINCED
- 1 Garlic clove Grated or Minced
- 1/2 cup Olive oil
Instructions
Quinoa (Stovetop)
- While you rinse or do a quick soak of dried quinoa in water, bring 2 cups of water to a bowl in a saucepan. Add quinoa and season with salt and pepper
- Once to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over low-med until quinoa absorbs water and it's nice and fluffy. Approximately 15 minutes
Almonds (Toasting)
- In preheated oven, place chopped almonds on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes
Kale and Brussel Sprouts (Cutting)
- Kale: Remove stems by using tip of knife to cut along side the stem on each side. Slice the stem leaf into thin strips and put into the bowl.
- Brussel Sprouts: Cut off any remaining stem. Then cut in half vertically (top to bottom), put one piece flat side down and cut into small thin strips. Other option: Use food processor to pulse and cut into small-med sized pieces
Chipotle Powder (for chicken)
- Mix together paprika, garlic salt, chili powder, and cumin
Chicken (stovetop - skillet cooking)
- ** to save time, cut chicken into strips ** (This allows for more surface area for seasoning too.)
- In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil with chipotle powder, oregano, 1 grated garlic clove, salt and pepper
- Pour over the chicken and mix with hands until chicken is fully coated
- Add to hot greased skillet until cooked through.
- Chop into small pieces and set aside.
Dressing
- In small bowl (or small mason jar), whisk together lemon juice, dijon mustard, shallots, and remaining minced/grated garlic.
- While whisking, slowly add 1/2 cup of olive oil until mixture becomes thick and creamy looking.
- Season with salt and pepper
Putting it together
- In a large bowl, toss together kale, brussel sprouts, quinoa and almonds.
- Add dressing
- Add crumbled cheese of choice
- Add chicken pieces
- Add toasted almonds
- Toss together and serve!
Storage
- Save any leftovers in a air tight container. If you need more dressing later, you can make a small amount of extra and store in fridge if needed.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!