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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 don’t see broccoli or cabbage in the pics but it is in the recipe???
Sorry, the broccoli is underneath everything! You can add it or not, totally up to you, but i love the addition of the veggies. Thanks!
So I’m trying to figure out a non-spicy alternative to this (not that I don’t love me some hot sauce, but I have an 18 month old who I don’t think would appreciate it so much….). Maybe with BBQ sauce? ?
Hey Jenelle! I have never tried this with BBQ sauce, but if you like that flavor I think it will be great! Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this! Thank you!
I really enjoyed this recipe! I had to customize it to my diet but will make it again! I didn’t use any dairy or meat because I’m vegan. I used chickpeas and fake chicken strips in place of meat and Hampton Creek Ranch as an added topping at the end. I didn’t have any cabbage or green onions so I just used carrots and yellow onion. Nom, Nom, Nom!
Thank you!! I’m so happy you were able to make it vegan! Sounds delish!!
Do you have to use olive oil (mixed with the Frank’s)? We’re all out. 🙁
Hey Natalie! You can also use melted butter. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!
I made this around this time last year (seriously yum), I’m just lucky like that, and I plan on making it tonight for a quick dinner and then plenty of leftovers for my fiance and I for lunches. But this time I think I am going to go halfsies cabbage and celery and make sure I don’t go sprinkle crazy with the blue cheese like last time. I get near cheese and black out and the next thing I know I’m swimming in shreds and smell like picking myself off of the ground. I’m also going to swap the broccoli out for peas. I have a serious love affair of peas so if it isn’t a dessert, I am usually for adding it into things. I hope it turns out ok!
I made this recipe and it is amazing. It is one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing.
So good to hear! Thanks Julie!
I make this all the time! It’s delicious. Tonight I made it with red onion instead of green. I’d like to have the calorie information.
Hi Lisa! I am really happy you love this recipe, that is awesome! Unfortunately, I do not provide calorie information for my recipes. This is just a personal preference as I have found most calculators to be incorrect. I am really sorry I could be of more help. Thanks again!
My sister adapted this to a crockpot recipe and it’s just as good!
3 frozen chicken breasts on bottom, 1 cup uncooked quinoa, 2 cups water, I just used like a coleslaw mix (white and purple cabbage and carrots) 1.5 cups of it, 1 cup fresh cut up broccoli, 2 stalks green onions, and then the sauce on top (1/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup franks hot sauce, 1 tsp seasoned salt whisked together)
Cook on high for 6 hours. After 5 hours, shred chicken with forks. If chicken looks ready after shredding, just put it on low for about 30 minutes so it can continue to absorb all the flavors. Serve with blue cheese crumbles and freshly chopped green onion. It’s good to eat warm or cold straight out of the fridge the next day (really yummy over salad)
You can use fresh chicken too and would only need to cook on high for 4 hours
Hi Whitney!! That is so awesome, what a great idea! Thanks so much ?
good warm or cold— take for lunch too!
Thanks so much, Steven! So happy you love this salad!
We’ve made this several ways, which are also winners– sub 1lb cooked chickpeas for chickens, sub barley for quinoa, sub shredded brussel sprouts for cabbage.
You can play with the ratios to boost the veggie content if you want too—-
Hi There– I’m planning to cook this tonight and am very excited! One thing– I can’t always predict when we’re going to exactly sit down for dinner.
How do you recommend keeping this warm for up to 30 min or so before we eat?
Thanks!
I would just keep them in the oven at a low temp until ready eat! 🙂
Found your blog through the feedfeed’s Instagram and this recipe through your “Top 14 Super Bowl Recipes” post. I made it 3 nights ago and my husband and I loved it! It’s delicious and easy enough that I could make it on a weeknight with a 6-month-old. It’s pretty much all I ate for 2 days… and then I made a second batch last night. Thanks for the recipe – it’s definitely going into the rotation!
Thank you! So happy the recipe is a hit! 🙂
Made this for my meal prep this week… Was wondering if you could ball park the calories per serving? Would really appreciate it. Recipe is so great and it’s something I plan to keep making. So easy and tasty!
Sorry Maggie, I really have no idea. Happy you love this recipe!
I’ve already made this twice this week, it’s delicious. Thanks for posting!
Made this last night and I have to say that it is way too salty for my taste. I would maybe cut the seasoned salt down to half or even a quarter teaspoon. Other than that, it was pretty good.