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Alright guys, I have got a good one for you…Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad.
Seriously, this one is going to rock the blog world. Well….at least I think it should.
Anything involving Buffalo Sauce rocks. No questions.
Buffalo Chicken is a very much-loved food around here. Every time I make it for my Dad he say’s “You could sell this stuff. We need to open a restaurant devoted to all things Buffalo Chicken.” Really he say’s it every time…..and I love it!
After all, the reason I love cooking so much is seeing how people react to my food. It is the best when someone loves something! And I know something is good when I get my dad’s stamp of approval. Don’t get me wrong he will eat just about anything, but for him to say something is really good, means it is really good. He is kind of a toughy.
No joke, this is the best quinoa salad out there. I mean guys, it is Buffalo Chicken.
It’s healthy, quick and super simple. That right there is enough reason to make this. I added some broccoli and carrots for crunch and some blue cheese just cause well, blue cheese is delicious and in my opinion you can not do buffalo sauce without some blue cheese.
It’s just awesome. Perfect snack, lunch or dinner. I am kind of obsessed.
Really if you are out of quinoa you are going to want to go to the store. Now!
Cause I am pretty sure you need to ditch all other previous plans for dinner for tonight and make this. It is just too good not to make.
Ok…here’s how you do it….
First, the quinoa……..rinse and drain the quinoa. Add to the pot with water and bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat to low……Cook about 20 minutes until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with fork!
The buffalo sauce dressing…..yuuummmmmm. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, hot sauce, and seasoned salt. Set aside.
The chicken……Heat a medium sized skillet on medium-high heat. Add 1 T. olive oil and saute the broccoli for about 5 minutes. You want it a little soft, but still crisp. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the chicken to the same pan and cook for about 5 minutes until cooked through. Add 1/4 C. of the buffalo sauce dressing until the chicken absorbs most of it.
Assembling….When everything is ready, add the quinoa to a big bowl and toss in chicken, broccoli, carrots, shredded cabbage, and buffalo sauce dressing. Toss to combine the dressing and all the chicken and veggies. Mix in the blue cheese and half of the green onions. Toss again. Serve warm with extra blue cheese crumbles and green onions on top!! YUM!
Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad with Broccoli
Servings: 2 as a main
Calories Per Serving: 1207 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
Buffalo Dressing
- 1/2 cup hot sauce I recommend Franks
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Salad
- 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 3/4 cup shredded carrots
- 3/4 cup shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles plus more for garnish
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 4 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, make the buffalo sauce dressing. In a medium bowl combine the olive oil, hot sauce, and seasoned salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Heat a medium size skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Add 1/4 cup or so of the buffalo sauce and cook until the chicken absorbs the sauce. Add the broccoli and cook 3-5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Remove from the heat.
- In a large salad bowl, toss together the cooked quinoa, chicken, broccoli, carrots, shredded cabbage, and as much of the dressing as desired. Add the blue cheese and half of the green onions. Toss again and serve warm with extra blue cheese crumbles, the remaining green onions, and avocado.
Seriously, go make this now. You’ll be so happy your did!
Shared with: Inside BruCru Life, Lil Luna, Chef In Training, Buns In my Oven, Foodie Friday Friends, Tidy Mom, Taste and Tell, Cheerios and Lattes, Somewhat Simple, Mom on Timeout, I Heart Nap Time, Fine Craft Guide, The Country Cook, Whipperberry, Chef In Training
I loooooove buffalo sauce and love an excuse to put it on anything and everything! Thanks to you I can put it on quinoa now too! I featured it in my latest post, “Kick Start The New Year #3: 15 Healthy Lunches”.
This looks amazing. Can you clarify if “Buffalo sauce” and “Dressing” are the same thing? In the direction for cooking chicken, you mention cooking it in “Buffalo sauce,” but then in the second paragraph you refer to “the dressing.” Do I cook the chicken in sauce from the jar or do I use the dressing for cooking the chicken? Would love clarification so that I can make this. Looks fabulous!
Hey Sheila! Sorry for the confusion. Yes, buffalo sauce and dressing are the same thing. Hope you love this! THANKS!
Would you happen to know the nutrition facts of this?
This sounds AWESOME! Quick questions, do you add the 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce while the chicken cooks in the pan or after the 5 min the chicken has cooked? Also, when you add it all together (at the end) is the “dressing” in addition to the 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce you added to the pan? Can’t wait to make this, Thanks so much!!
Hi! You add the buffalo sauce to the chicken after it is cooked and yes, the dressing is addition. Hope you love this!!
HOLY COW, THIS WAS GOOD.
I made it tonight and FELL IN LOVE. The recipe was so easy that I can totally re-create it without looking next time, especially with my slight adjustments (more broccoli, no cabbage/carrots). Totally crave-worthy and delicious, and I’m bringing leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Just a quick question for someone who’s not a big fan of spicy…what would be a good substitute for hot sauce but still making it a buffalo-type chicken quinoa? thanks!
Hi Sam! Hi would just halve the hot sauce. I think that will be a pretty mellow spice.
Hope you love this!
Ok thanks!
Is there a way to make the same amount of sauce but cut the heat in half? The amount of hot sauce was too much for us, but I don’t want to lose the quantity of sauce…if that makes any sense?! Other than that, it was delicious!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I found it a while back and it has become a staple at my house! I’m a vegetarian now so we do it with tempeh or just without the meat but it definitely helps with any cravings I get for wings!
YAY! That is awesome! So happy you adapted it to your needs! Thanks!
Highly enjoyed this meal! Thank you, thank you!
do you mean cauliflower? because i don’t see any broccoli in there? thanks!
Hi there! I just found this recipe and I’m hoping to try it tomorrow! However, I try to keep my calories on the lower side for dinner, and I know with the quinoa it’s a bit unavoidable, but I was wondering if there’s any substitution that could be made for the olive oil, or the amount of olive oil, in the sauce? I obviously haven’t made the sauce yet and I don’t wanna mess with a good thing!! But I was hoping to cut a calorie corner somewhere, and it seems like maybeeeee the olive oil could be the place (or maybe use less olive oil, and substitute something else in?). Thanks! And really looking forward to making this tomorrow!!
Hi Brittany!!
Sorry I am just getting to your comment now. You can just reduce the amount of oil in the sauce. Just be ware that the less oil you use the spicier the sauce with will be. Hope you love this!
I used less oil and added some Bolthouse Farms Yogurt Ranch to take away some of the spice. It was DELICIOUS. Great recipe.
We just had this tonight and OMG so good!!!! It was so easy and tasty. It’ll be going into the regular rotation!
SO happy you love them!!
Hello! I am so going to make this tonight!!
This recipe is gluten free, rightÉ
Right. Hope you love it!
My family loved the recipe. The sauce was a little to spicy for me. We will try a different one next time.
So happy you guys loved this! To tone done the heat level, just use a little less hot sauce.
Hi sounds delicious!!!! Do you think it could be made the day before and served cold for a picnic?
I do, I think that would be great! Hope you love this!