Easy Lemon Chicken with Quinoa Salad
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
This citrus chicken is one of the best lemon chicken recipes out there! Paired with a delicious quinoa salad, you’re tastebuds will rejoice when you try this meal.
This is one of my favorite meals to make during the nice weather because I love grilled chicken. For this recipe, you marinate the chicken in a delicious citrus marinade that also doubles as a dressing for the salad. It is absolutely one of the best lemon chicken recipes ever!
Have you ever seen the commercial where the guy is grilling a quinoa burger at a tailgate and refers to it a loofah? My husband loves that commercial and brings it up every time I fix quinoa. While he pokes fun, I never actually hear him complain as he is eating when I make citrus chicken with quinoa salad. The plate is empty of just about every single piece of the quinoa.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Lemon Chicken Recipe
- Big flavors! With only a few fresh ingredients, this recipe packs some big (and delicious) flavors.
- Easy to make! The recipe calls for grilling the chicken but you can easily make it baked lemon chicken or even pan roast the chicken.
- Make it ahead! This meal is perfect for meal prep as everything reheats beautifully.
- A complete meal! With the quinoa salad, this recipe gives you a complete meal featuring protein, ancient grains, and vegetables.
Ingredients for Citrus Chicken with Quinoa Salad
- Chicken Breast: This recipe uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can substitute boneless, skinless thighs but the cooking time will need to be adjusted.
- Lemon Juice: The foundation of the yummy marinade and salad dressing. Fresh squeezed juice works best here.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard has a slightly sweet component that helps balance the high acidity of the lemon juice.
- Oregano: Fresh oregano is the perfect herbal companion for the fresh flavors of lemon chicken.
- Garlic
- Grape Tomatoes: These little bites of heaven are added to the quinoa for some extra flavor and nutritional benefits.
- Baby Spinach: This can be replaced with arugula but will add a peppery flavor that spinach doesn’t have.
- Quinoa: This grain is a powerhouse of protein and fiber.
Essential Items for This Recipe
Rimmed Baking Sheet // Whisk // Mixing Bowl // Grill or Grill Pan
How to Make Grilled Lemon Chicken and Quinoa Salad
This is one of those meals that looks like it took way longer to prepare than it really did. The citrus flavors are perfect for summer and go great with the slightly smoky flavor that comes from grilling the chicken. If you cut your marinading time to 15 minutes, you can even have this whole meal completed in 30 minutes from start to table.
There are a just a few basic steps to this recipe and they are all so simple.
- Make the marinade that doubles as a salad dressing. Be sure to set aside some of the marinade before adding it to the rest to the chicken.
- Marinate the chicken. Use this time to cook the quinoa (how to make the fluffiest quinoa).
- Grill the chicken.
- Prepare the quinoa salad.
I often make a little extra of the quinoa salad and use it as a backup side dish on nights where time is short. It is also perfect for packing for lunch. There are tons of options with the quinoa salad too. Roasted red peppers would be a great addition or replacement for the tomatoes. You can add some Parmesan or goat cheese.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Lemon Basil Baked Chicken
- Southwest Chicken with Guacamole
- Balsamic Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- Marry Me Chicken
Lemon Chicken with Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Quinoa Salad
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
Marinade and Dressing
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- salt and pepper to taste ~1/2 tsp each
Instructions
- Combine the lemon juice, oregano, garlic, and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium bowl. Whisk until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. {Alternatively, you can combine the ingredients in a jar, add the lid, and shake to combine.}1/3 cup lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 garlic clove, salt and pepper to taste
- Reserve ¼ cup of marinade. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken breasts and marinate for 15-30 minutes.4 boneless
- Heat grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grates of the grill. Remove chicken from the marinade, discard the marinade, and grill the chicken for 5-7 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss grape tomatoes with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.1 pint grape tomatoes, 2 teaspoons olive oil
- In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, baby spinach and roasted tomatoes. Toss well and pour reserved 1/4 cup of marinade over salad mixture. Add to plates and top with sliced, cooked chicken.2 cups baby spinach, 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
Notes
- This chicken can also be baked in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Chicken should be a minimum of 165 degrees to be fully cooked.
- If you want to baste the chicken while cooking, make 1.5x the amount of marinade and keep 1/2 cup aside for basting. Do not baste the chicken with the same dressing that was used for marinating the raw chicken.
Nutrition
