Quinoa chicken spinach salad with mandarin oranges, walnuts and a honey-lime vinaigrette (and optional sriracha drizzle) is a flavorful main dish salad that’s ready in just 20 minutes!
You guys know I don’t like wimpy salads, right? Case in point: my warm chicken, spinach and sweet potato salad with bacon vinaigrette. ALL kinds of hearty!
And then there’s my chopped salads… southwestern chicken chopped salad, Asian chicken chopped salad and most recently, my Mediterranean chopped salad that’s vegetarian but still super filling.
Cause I want all the veggies, but I need some protein and probably also some carbs in my salad!
And today’s Quinoa Chicken Spinach Salad has ALL the goods.
Tender chunks of chicken mixed with fluffy quinoa, fresh chopped spinach, sweet mandarin oranges, crunchy walnuts and a honey-lime vinaigrette to coat everything and tie it all together with some great citrus notes.
And, maybe you saw this coming, but I like to add a little drizzle of sriracha sauce on my salad. I highly suggest you do the same.
I love how easy this is to pull together, too. I made it for one of our monthly girls nights recently and it was a HUGE hit. I had hoped to have enough leftover for lunch the next day, but no such luck.
Recipe Notes:
You can use leftover roasted or grilled chicken or pick up a store-bought rotisserie chicken for this recipe. (I’ve even substituted my slow cooker turkey breasts before and that worked well, too.)
I get everything prepped while the quinoa is cooking to make this go faster. Also, once the quinoa is cooked, move it to a large bowl to help it cool more quickly. (Or make it ahead of time and have it ready to go for a super-fast meal!)
If you’re not a spicy person, just leave out the hot sauce in the dressing. If you are a spicy person, leave it in and add a drizzle of sriracha sauce.
You can make this salad ahead, but I’d suggest waiting to add the walnuts and the dressing to the salad until you're ready to serve it. That way, everything stays fresh.
This salad is dairy-free but you could add your favorite cheese to this if you like.
Happy cooking and enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Quinoa Chicken Spinach Salad with honey lime vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 ¼ cups uncooked quinoa
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
- 2 big handfuls fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
For the honey-lime vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce, optional
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. Let cool then season with salt and pepper.
- Combine quinoa, chicken, spinach, mandarin oranges and walnuts in a large bowl.
- For the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a small jar, cover and shake vigorously to get the ingredients well combined.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad and mix well.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I love the vinaigrette to tie it all together! Yum! (And yes to that hot sauce 😉 )
Kathryn
The dressing really does bring everything together and punch it all up a notch!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
Busy can be good, because the day goes by so fast, but yikes when it sneaks up on you and food needs to be on the table! 😉 Here's to hoping you have a slow, relaxing weekend!! I am looooving this salad, but of course I am because you make some mean salads! Love the savory and sweet combination here, and yesss to adding a bit of sriracha!!! Gimme all that savory-sweet-n-spicy food! Love that this salad is so healthy, yet filling and substantial! Just perfect, my dear! Cheers! XO
Kathryn
Aww, thanks girl! It's a powerhouse of flavors for sure 😉 Have a fabulous weekend! XO
Gigi
Your recipes look good but I could not find any specific measurements for ingredients. Particularly SW Baked Egg Rolls. Can you provide please?
Kathryn
Hi! All of my recipes have the specific measurements included within the recipe card. If you scroll down on the post to the recipe card, you'll get the specific measurements and the exact instructions on how to make the recipe. 😊
Karla
Do you know the nutritional content of this with or without the nuts?
Kathryn Doherty
Hi there Karla! For some reason, that nutritional information wasn't showing up. I've updated it and it should be there now, at the bottom of the recipe card. (It includes the nuts.) Hope that helps!
Edwina at The Equipped Cook
Oh Mommy guilt, I know it too well! I also like a decent amount of protein in a salad. This salad looks delicious. I really like the look of that vinaigrette too. I'll be making it tomorrow. Thanks for sharing.
Kathryn
Sigh, glad I'm not alone Edwina 😉 I hope you love this salad!
Helena
This looks delicious. I'm planning on making this ahead so thanks for the tip on keeping the walnuts and dressing stored separately. Maybe I'll just make the quinoa ahead, I'll have to decide. I can see this becoming one of my favorite lunches. I don't really do meal prep but sometimes I do like to get ahead of the day or the next few days when I'm busy with work and trying to get organized. Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
Kathryn
I'm so happy you're going to make this - I hope you love it! I'm the same way - I don't do a big meal prep every week but I do try and get a few things fixed ahead here and there. It's so helpful!