Overcome Your Gut + Digestive Issues With Ancestral Nutrition
Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad
I know that I post a decent number of meals that are great on the go meals, yet I am going to share another one with you today. The reason I post so many togo friendly meals is because my recipes are a reflection of how I eat and between work and school, about 3-8 of my weekly meals are prepared ahead of time and then eaten on the go.
Todays recipe is based off a chicken quinoa salad I had from my favorite local grocery store, Lazy Acres. This recipe is loaded with protein. Each 517.8 Calorie serving contains 50.6g of protein. This makes these salads especially great for athletes and weight lifters. However anyone can enjoy them.
When I want a meal that I can prep ahead of time, that will still taste good the next few days, and is loaded with protein, I often make these Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salads. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.
With love from my kitchen to yours,
Kayley
Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad
AuthorKayley O'BrienPreheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your chicken. Place your chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or the brown paper the butcher wraps the meat in. Season with 1 1/2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper and rub into the meat. Cover chicken. I usually use a lasagna pan but you could use foil or another pan.
Bake for about 30- 40 minutes till the chicken gets an internal temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Check after 30 minutes and cook longer if needed. If you don't have a meat thermometer, you can check to see when it's done by cutting into the thickest part of the chicken and prying open the cut. If there is any pink color, cook longer. If the pink color has disappeared, it's done.
After chicken is done, remove from oven, after a few minutes carefully remove the covering (very hot steam will rush out which can burn you so be careful), and then let sit for 10 minutes. Then remove skin and bones (if using bone in skin on chicken) and cut chicken into strips (like in the picture) or cubes.
Meanwhile, cook your quinoa. Start by heating 1 1/2 tsp oil in a medium sized pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add onions and garlic. Sautè for a few minutes, then add quinoa. Stir occasionally, letting the quinoa pearl. After a few minutes, add 2 cups of water, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and cook for 20 minutes.
Once your quinoa is done, add corn, bell pepper, basil, Italian parsley, sun dried tomatoes, feta, lemon juice, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. If you do not have fresh basil and Italian parsley on hand feel free to replace them with more dried Italian spices (I definitely recommend at least using dried basil though).
Divide the quinoa salad mixture among 4 tupperwares and top each portion with 1/4 of the chicken. Place in the fridge to cool and enjoy later!
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your chicken. Place your chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or the brown paper the butcher wraps the meat in. Season with 1 1/2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper and rub into the meat. Cover chicken. I usually use a lasagna pan but you could use foil or another pan.
Bake for about 30- 40 minutes till the chicken gets an internal temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Check after 30 minutes and cook longer if needed. If you don't have a meat thermometer, you can check to see when it's done by cutting into the thickest part of the chicken and prying open the cut. If there is any pink color, cook longer. If the pink color has disappeared, it's done.
After chicken is done, remove from oven, after a few minutes carefully remove the covering (very hot steam will rush out which can burn you so be careful), and then let sit for 10 minutes. Then remove skin and bones (if using bone in skin on chicken) and cut chicken into strips (like in the picture) or cubes.
Meanwhile, cook your quinoa. Start by heating 1 1/2 tsp oil in a medium sized pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add onions and garlic. Sautè for a few minutes, then add quinoa. Stir occasionally, letting the quinoa pearl. After a few minutes, add 2 cups of water, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and cook for 20 minutes.
Once your quinoa is done, add corn, bell pepper, basil, Italian parsley, sun dried tomatoes, feta, lemon juice, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. If you do not have fresh basil and Italian parsley on hand feel free to replace them with more dried Italian spices (I definitely recommend at least using dried basil though).
Divide the quinoa salad mixture among 4 tupperwares and top each portion with 1/4 of the chicken. Place in the fridge to cool and enjoy later!
Notes
Nutrition:
| Ingredients | Cal | Fat | Carbs | Protein |
| 1.5 lbs boneless skinless raw chicken breast | 642.4 | 5.8g | 0g | 134.3g |
| 1 cup dry quinoa | 804 | 24g | 108g | 44g |
| 1 1/3 cups corn (185g) | 176.9 | 2.2g | 40.6g | 5.7g |
| 1 1/2 bell pepper, diced (170g) | 45 | 0.4g | 10.3g | 7.1g |
| 1/4 cup feta cheese (38g) | 99 | 8g | 1.5g | 5.3g |
| 1 1/2 tsp olive oil | 60 | 7g | 0g | 0g |
| 1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes (60g) | 180 | 12g | 0g | 4g |
| 1/2 cup onion, diced (132g) | 57.4 | 0.3g | 13.3g | 1.8g |
| 1 garlic clove (4g) | 4 | 0g | 1g | 0g |
| 1/4 cup basil, minced (10.5g) | 2.4 | 0g | 0.1g | 0.2g |
| Total (serves 4) | 2,071.1 | 59.7g | 174.8g | 202.4g |
| 1 serving | 517.8 | 14.9g | 43.7g | 50.6g |
(1, 2, 3)
Notes:
- Nutrition is based on the products I use. I provide a nutrition table so that you can quickly check to see if your food products match or so that you can easily calculate the nutrition for any changes you want to make to the recipe. I think this helps if you have very specific diet goals and/or fitness and/or health goals. I also wanted you to be able to see exactly where I get the numbers for my nutrition facts so that you can see that they are reliable and learn more about macro breakdowns of food.
- I only calculate half the oil because a lot of it sticks to the pan so you don’t consume all of it.
Works Cited
1. Nutritionix. Gladson. https://www.nutritionix.com/ Accessed 21 January 2019.
2. “Nutrition Label of sun dried tomatoes.” Jeff’s Naturals, Napa Valley, CA, 2019.
3. “Nutrition Label of olive oil.” Field Day, Providence, RI, 2019.
About Kayley
Kayley is a certified gut health nutrition coach who helps people to overcome their chronic gut and digestive issues at the root using the principles of ancestral nutrition and holistic health. (Continue Reading Here)
