Chicken And Quinoa Mason Jar Salad

This is one of those flavor packed salads. The coconut dukkah vinaigrette itself is a hit. I have mentioned Dukkah several times in my blog. It is one of my favorite spice mixes. When whisked with coconut milk, olive oil and lemon juice, it makes for such a delicate spiced dressing. I love the sweetness coconut milk brings to the vinaigrette and it goes very well with the grilled chicken. Tossed with quinoa and some veggies, it’s a filling salad. A vegetarian version of this Chicken And Quinoa Mason jar Salad, would be to use roasted veggies or the obvious grilled tofu/paneer.

I love collecting tiny jars. It helps me to make my salad dressing, freeze condiments, store spices and then occasionally, serve salad in it. Mason Jar Salad or Salad in A Jar is not a new concept but it’s just as exciting every time I build one. Like a fresh new discovery! It’s a great way to pack salad for lunch or a picnic. All you have do is just toss the bowl and dig in. If you ever intend to serve salad for a party or pack some for picnic, this would be the best way. Salad in a jar or glass is such a cute idea. Everyone gets his or her individual portion and you don’t have to wait for the last minute to toss the dressing.

There are a few key points to remember when building a salad in a jar. First would be the size of the veggies or meat that goes in. You want it tiny so that it fits perfectly in layers and doesn’t look all clogged up. The next thing is of course, the dressing. It should go right at the bottom, so that when you toss it, the dressing covers the entire salad. Having said that, in this particular, Chicken And Quinoa Mason Jar Salad, I added the dressing twice. Once right at the bottom and then a little bit more on the chicken bites to keep it moist. Since this particular salad didn’t have a lot of green leaves, I was not in the danger of the salad turning soggy.

Whether you layer it in a jar or toss in a bowl, this salad will make you very happy as it barely takes any effort.

Chicken And Quinoa Mason Jar Salad

Kankana Saxena

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 18 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

• ¼ cup cooked quinoa
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons Dukkah spice mix
• 5 cherry tomatoes (cut into halves)
• cucumber (thinly sliced)
• feta cheese
• cilantro leaves
• salt
• oil

Instructions

 

• Whisk coconut milk, olive oil, pinch of salt, lemon juice and a tablespoon of dukkah spice in a bowl to make the dressing.
• Score the chicken breast slightly and add 1 tablespoon of dukkah spice mix to it. In a hot pan, drizzle oil and layer the chicken breast carefully. It will take about 4 to 5 minutes to cook on one side. Flip it and allow it to cook for another 3 minutes. Once done, let it rest for 2 minutes and then, slice it into to bite size pieces.
• In a mason jar, pour 1 teaspoon of the salad dressing followed by 1½ tablespoons of cooked quinoa followed by a few slices of cucumber. Then, layer the chicken pieces and pour about 1 teaspoon of salad dressing. Top it with a few crumbles of feta cheese and a few pieces of tomatoes. Finally, drizzle some dukkah spice mix on top and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Notes

Please note that the cooking time doesn't include quinoa as I used cooked quinoa.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Servings