Kale And Quinoa Salad

This vibrant kale and quinoa salad with tender chicken and a zesty lemon-mustard dressing is flavorful and nourishing. Packed with protein, fiber, and energizing minerals, it’s a perfect go-to meal when your body needs a reset or an energy boost. Whether you’re prepping lunches for the week or looking for a quick, satisfying dinner, this nutrient-dense salad delivers a satisfying crunch, bold flavors, and a wholesome dose of feel-good ingredients. 

How About A Kale Salad For Dinner? (Stick With Me, Please.) 

Okay, I know it’s so very cliché to start the new year with a salad—a kale salad, no less. But hear me out. If you, like me, indulged a little too much during the holidays, I’m sure you’ve started craving more nutritious meals as a little re-set. Enter this big, vibrant, and invigorating salad! It makes the most perfect post-holiday meal without sacrificing flavor.

But the fact is, if I’m having a salad for dinner, it needs to be substantial enough to FILL me. A hearty base of kale, quinoa, grated carrots and shredded chicken give this salad plenty of heft and bite to serve as a full meal.

I would love to say that I adore this salad because it is filled with so many good-for-you ingredients. The truth is, I am mostly here for the salty, fried halloumi cubes. Golden-crispy on the outside and delightfully melty on the inside, they make this bright, lemony kale salad a little less virtuous, but truly irresistible.

The recipe makes a large batch. This is a good thing because it will feed a crowd or provide you with easy, nutritious lunches to enjoy throughout the week.

Looking for more delicious Kale Salad recipes? Check out my Kale Caesar Salad or Chopped Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing!

Ingredient Notes And Substitutions

• Kale: You can use any variety of kale for this salad. While I love Lacinato kale, it is harder to find and more expensive than curly kale. I also like to use curly kale here because it adds a lot of heft to the salad and holds up beautifully even when dressed days ahead. If you aren’t fond of kale, you can use a bag of mixed greens, arugula, Boston lettuce, spinach, or any lettuce you’d like. But note the softer greens will not be ideal for meal prep as they will wilt. So if you’d like to enjoy leftovers throughout the week, use something heartier like green cabbage or savoy cabbage.
• Quinoa: I love adding quinoa to salads and any variety will work here. Quinoa becomes super tasty when it soaks up the salad dressing and it also adds extra protein and fibre which means you’ll stay full longer. You can use leftover quinoa or cook some up real quick. My best tip for cooking quinoa is to use less water than most packages (and recipes) call for. I use 1 1/2 cups water for 1 cup quinoa and it turns out perfectly.
• Chicken: Let’s keep things simple and pick up a rotisserie chicken on the way home. Then all you have to do is tear it apart, and shred the meat with your fingers. If you prefer to cook your chicken from scratch, see section below on how I cook my favorite chicken for salads.
• Carrots: You need 1- 2 cups shredded carrots for this salad. Again, if you’d like to keep things super easy, buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots. I have also made this salad with roasted sweet potatoes and it’s delicious.
• Halloumi: A semi-hard cheese with a high melting point, halloumi is salty and squidgy and super easy to crisp up in a frying pan. Just cut it into small cubes, add a tablespoon of oil to a hot skillet and lightly fry the cheese for about 30 seconds per side. Hardest part will be not devouring all the cubes before they make it into the salad. If you can’t find halloumi, use feta or shaved Parmesan, Pecorino or Manchego.
• Fresh herbs: Not essential but a handful of chopped fresh cilantro or parsley offers wonderful anti-inflammatory properties so I add them to everything I can.
• Dates: When I’m eating this salad, my main goal is to have both dates and halloumi on my fork at the same time. The combination of sweet and salty is to die for. The key to delicious dates is using tender, moist dates. If the dates are very old and have dried out, they won’t taste very good. I almost always buy Medjool dates which are sold at most grocery stores and have a lovely caramel-like flavor.
• Almonds: So good for you and so crunchy and delicious! Make sure you lightly toast them to enhance their nutty flavor. You can also use walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts. If nut allergies are a concern, use pepitas or sunflower seeds.
• Lemony-Mustard Vinaigrette: Kale salads benefit from the bright, refreshing flavor of fresh lemon juice. A little garlic, honey, Dijon mustard, and olive oil ensure it also tastes delicious.

For a complete list of recipe ingredients and quantities, see the printable recipe card below.

How To Make Kale And Quinoa Salad

Cook the quinoa: Place rinsed quinoa and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat (without lifting lid!) and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and let cool before using.To cool the quinoa faster, transfer to a parchment-lined sheet pan. Use a spatula to spread it out into an even layer and let it dry and cool for about 10 minutes.

Make the dressing: While the quinoa is cooking, add all of the vinaigrette ingredients to a jar. Whisk or shake vigorously until emulsified.

Prepare the kale: Remove the stems and chop the kale into your desired size (I like to chop it finely). Rinse it thoroughly, then place it in a large bowl. Sprinkle kale with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and use your hands to squeeze and massage the leaves, just until they start to soften. This should only take about a minute or two! Massaging the kale will help break up the tough fibers, making it softer and more pleasing to eat. TIP: If you bought pre-packaged chopped kale, it likely won’t need to be massaged for as long in order to soften.

Prepare the chicken: If using a rotisserie chicken, remove the skin from the two breasts, then finely shred the meat. If you’d like to add some dark meat, do the same with the legs. Add the shredded meat to the kale bowl.

Fry the halloumi: Cut the halloumi into 1” cubes and pat dry using a kitchen towel or paper towels. Heat oil in a large skillet (preferably non-stick or cast iron) over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the halloumi pieces and cook for about 30-40 seconds per side until golden-browned. (You’ll want to be fairly attentive, flipping fairly quickly, as you want to make sure the cubes toast without burning or melting.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with pepper.

Assemble salad: To the kale and chicken, add the cooked quinoa, shredded carrots, fresh herbs, halloumi, dates, and your desired amount of dressing. TIP: If I’m serving the entire salad for dinner, I add almost all of the dressing. For meal prep, it is best to dress the salad lightly, then add more as needed.

Toss to combine: Toss everything well, then taste and a little more seasoning and/or dressing, if needed. Serve the salad on plates or shallow bowls and top with chopped almonds.

My Favorite Easy Roasted Chicken For Salads And Soups

A rotisserie chicken is tasty and will help make this salad come together very quickly. But sometimes we don’t have access to a good rotisserie chicken, or we’d like to prepare the chicken at home.

I don’t love using poached chicken in salads since it can taste pretty bland. Instead, I like to make this simple roasted chicken that takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and is ready in about 30-40 minutes. The key is to buy bone-in, skin-on chicken breast so the meat stays super moist and juicy. The recipe is for 2 chicken breasts but I almost always roast 4 at a time so I can freeze some for later.

Here’s the simple recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

• Place chicken breasts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Rub olive oil all over and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake at 375º for 45 minutes, or until an internal digital thermometer reads 165ºF.
• Cool, then chop or slice to use and needed.

Helpful Recipe Tips

• This kale and quinoa salad is excellent for healthy meal prep! The salad keeps well for 4 days in the fridge, even when dressed.
• Always massage kale when using it for a salad. Massaging the kale will help break up the tough fibers, making it softer and more pleasing to eat.
• Want a more filling salad? Add roasted sweet potato cubes or roasted broccoli.
• Cool the quinoa before adding to the kale salad. If you’re serving the entire salad for dinner, it’s fine to add the quinoa to the salad while it is still warm. However, if you plan on using the salad for lunches, it’s best to wait until the quinoa has cooled so the kale doesn’t wilt.

Storage Tips

Store the dressed kale and quinoa salad in the fridge in an airtight container for 4 days. The salad will soften a little after it sits in the fridge but I find it’s just as good.

If you have leftover cooked quinoa or cooked chicken that wasn’t added to the salad, store in separate containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

More Favorite Salads To Try