Asian Quinoa Salad (2) with Savoury Grilled Chicken

My second attempt at quinoa salad with an Asian vibe! First recipe included mango so it tasted a bit sweeter than I normally prefer. This time around, the salad is mango-less, but has the added crunch of water chestnuts and the more subtle sweetness of corn! 

Yield:  2 dinners with chicken and 2 meatless lunches

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Chicken marinade: 



• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp bombay curry powder
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper 
• 1/4 tsp garlic parsley salt
• 1.5 cups quinoa (3 cups, less 2 tbsp, water)

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 inch section fresh ginger
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup frozen corn 
• 25 snow peas
• top half of a bunch of green onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 can whole water chestnuts (net wt 8oz, dr wt 5oz)
• 1/3 cup Litehouse toasted sesame ginger dressing (fat-free)

((I prefer to marinade the chicken and cook the quinoa well in advance to allow the flavor to soak into the chicken, and the quinoa to cool))

Trim any fat off chicken breast and slice lengthwise to create 2 chicken breast halves. Marinade with seasoning, and set aside in fridge. 

Bring water, quinoa, soy sauce, ground coriander, salt and bay leaf to a boil in a medium pot over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to low and cover for 15min. Remove from heat, let stand 5 min, fluff, and let cool to room temp. Place quinoa in large salad bowl with plastic wrap to keep fresh. 

stripped snow peas

Closer to mealtime, wash and prepare the remaining ingredients. Start by mincing the garlic and fresh ginger. Add to salad bowl. 

Heat a small non-stick pan at high. Add sesame seeds (no oil) and let toast, tossing or stirring occasionally, for 1-2min or until they start to pop. Add to salad bowl. 

Squeeze 1/2-1 lime (need 2 tbsp). Add to salad bowl and toss with quinoa, garlic, ginger and toasted sesame.

Measure out 1 cup of frozen corn and set aside to thaw. 

With the snow peas, this next step has been firmly ingrained in me thanks to years of helping my mom out in the kitchen... (feel free to skip this step if you don't mind a bit of chewy toughness in your snow peas). Instead of just trimming the ends, she taught me to take each of the ends and strip them down so the tough stringy parts on each side of the peas are removed. Slice each snow pea into 4 pieces and add to salad bowl.

Dice the green half of a bunch of green onion and add to salad bowl. 

Peel then shred carrot, using a medium grater slot. Add to salad bowl. 

Drain liquid from the can of whole water chestnuts. Dice each whole water chestnut into 4-6 pieces (about the size of the frozen corn kernels). Add to salad bowl. 

Add corn to salad bowl. Toss everything with salad dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving. 

To cook the chicken, I use a 2-sided grill (like a George Foreman). Once the grill is warmed up, place chicken breast in the centre and set timer for 8min. Slice and arrange over salad.