Roasted Lemon Chicken Broccoli and Quinoa Salad

Name: Roasted Lemon Chicken Broccoli and Quinoa Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (fat trimmed); 4 tbsp avocado oil (divided); ⅛ tsp kosher salt plus ¼ tsp (divided); 2 small lemons (thinly sliced and seeded); 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth; ½ cup quinoa; 1 medium head of broccoli or 8 oz bag of frozen broccoli; ¼ cup red-wine vinegar; 1 tbsp dijon mustard; 2 cups fresh baby spinach; ¾ cups chopped walnuts; ½ cup dried cranberries

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This roasted lemon chicken broccoli and quinoa salad was everything you could imagine and more. An amazingly delicious salad with perfectly cooked lemon chicken. The chicken was roasted on the same baking pan as the lemon, which gave it the juiciest flavor. I cut corners and decided to use a bag of broccoli instead of steaming a fresh broccoli. Once I mixed the bag of broccoli with the other ingredients it tasted just as good. I've got 3 kids 3 and under so I don't have as much time as I would like to cook so I'm all about cutting corners. Quinoa also only takes about 15 minutes to cook so that is an ingredient I use quit often. I'm a stickler for Bob's Red Mill. I've linked below if you need a good quinoa.

Bob's Red Mill Organic Tri-Color Quinoa (13 oz) - $10.25

What other ingredients do I need to make this roasted lemon chicken broccoli and quinoa salad?

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this dish.

1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast, fat trimmed
4 tbsp of avocado oil, divided
¹⁄8 tsp kosher salt plus ¼ tsp, divided
2 small lemons, thinly sliced and seeded
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup quinoa
1 medium head of broccoli or an 8 oz bag of frozen broccoli you can toss in the microwave
¼ cup red-wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 cups fresh baby spinach
¾ cups chopped walnuts
½ cup dried cranberries

How do I make this dish?

Start off by preheating your oven to 425°. Place your chicken on one side of a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil and sprinkle with ¹⁄8 tsp of salt. Roast for 10 minutes. Place your sliced lemon on the other side of the baking sheet and roast, turning once, until the inside temp of the chicken reads 165°F and the lemons are browned, about 15 more minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small pot add your broth and quinoa. Follow package directions for cooking quinoa. Also, if you are cooking your broccoli using fresh broccoli, chop that up into bite sized pieces. Add your chopped broccoli to a steamer basket. Add enough water to a pot to come up to about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat. When water is boiling, carefully place the steamer basket with the broccoli into the pot and steam for 5 minutes. Once done, remove from heat and place in a bowl and keep warm. Or, cut corners and toss a bag of broccoli into the microwave. Follow package directions for time length.

Chop up half of the lemon slices. Combine in a large bowl with vinegar, mustard, and remaining 3 tbsp of oil and ¼ tsp of salt. Shred chicken using 2 forks and add the chicken, lemon, broccoli, quinoa, spinach, walnuts, and cranberries to the dressing and toss to combine. Drizzle with more dressing before serving if desired.

What's the deal with quinoa?

Quinoa is one of the world's most popular health foods. Quinoa is gluten-free, high in protein, and one of the few plant foods that contain sufficient amounts of all nine essential amino acids. In only one cup of quinoa there are 8 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, 9% of the RDA for potassium, 222 calories, 39 grams of carbs, and 4 grams of fat, and also a bunch of vitamins and minerals. It's also super easy and quick to cook. I find it is also very simple to add into most meals. It most recently has been referred to as a, "super food" because of it's high content in nutrients. This would definitely be a wise type of food to try and incorporate into your diet.