Curry Chicken & Mango Quinoa Salad

I think we are all creatures of habit when it comes to cooking and eating. We make the same few things over and over, week after week. While we may switch things up, we still pull from the same group of go-to favorites. Occasionally, we will try a new recipe, and as we add a new recipe, one old recipe may accidentally fall off the grid.

I realized I have been in a rut lately so I started digging around in my old recipe “files” (AKA…looking on my blog for recipes I’ve posted over the last couple of years) and I found this amazing Quinoa salad I completely forgot about.

I love the sweet with the spicy, and all the textures. This will definitely be one of those salads I bring to parties because all these yummy flavors are like having a party on your tongue!

Chicken, Black Bean and Mango Quinoa Salad

1 cup (uncooked) quinoa
Diced chicken (I cooked 3 breasts)
1 cup chopped mangoes
1/2 cup chopped  cucumber
1 chopped onion
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
handful of cilantro
Salt

Dressing: 
1/4 cup olive oil  (you can dilute this with water to reduce calories)
4 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

Cook 1 cup of quinoa as directed (in 2 cups water for 15 minutes). I added a dash of salt and fajita seasoning. Remove from heat and let it to continue to steam (this makes it more fluffy). While cooking your quinoa, also cook your chicken and diced into small cubes. I cooked my chicken in lime juice, cumin and curry. While the hot food cools, start chopping up the cool ingredients. I use the Vidalia Chop Wizard and LOVE it! (Thanks Kristie – that’s a gift that keeps on giving!) In a separate bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Finally, combine the quinoa and chicken with the fresh ingredients and drizzle the dressing over it while mixing it until it is all well coated. Salt to taste. It makes 6 delicious servings.