{Recipe Files}: Buffalo Chicken Quinoa

I'm back with another tasty, and overall pretty healthy recipe for you!

We are big buffalo sauce fans in my house and after I made this, my husband didn't stop talking about how delicious this recipe was!

Originally found on Pinterest over at Half Baked Harvest, it was called Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad, but it doesn't really feel like a salad to me.

What You Need:

-1 cup uncooked quinoa

chicken not pictured because the husband was already
grilling it

-2 cups water

-3/4 lb uncooked chicken breast, cut into pieces

-1 cup broccoli florets (fresh or frozen is fine)

-3/4 Cup shredded carrots

-3/4 Cup shredded cabbage

-1/2 C blue cheese crumbles (and some for garnish)

*Optional: 4 green onions, sliced (we left these out)

For the sauce:

-1/3 Cup olive oil

-1/2 Cup hot sauce

-1 tsp salt

What You Do:

1. Cook the quinoa according to package directions in a medium sized pot. Cook until all of the water is gone, about 15-20 minutes (follow your package directions).

2. While the quinoa is cooking, mix the ingredients for the buffalo sauce. Use a whisk to combine it all together (it will look similar to how buffalo sauce looks when combined properly).

3. If using fresh broccoli, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet, heat over medium heat and add in the broccoli for about 5 minutes until it is cooked but still a bit crisp.

If using frozen, cook it (on the stove or microwave) and set aside.

4. Cook the chicken in the same skillet you used for the broccoli. (My husband grilled our chicken on our grill because he loves using the grill, and then cut it into small pieces). Use about 1/4 Cup of the buffalo sauce you made and cook the chicken in the skillet, with the sauce until cooked through.

5. Mix the quinoa, chicken, broccoli, carrots, cabbage and as much of the dressing as desired (we used the whole thing). Toss well to combine. 

6. Add the blue cheese and half of the green onions (if you're using them--I don't think they are necessary). Mix well again.

Serve it up and top each bowl with extra blue cheese crumbles and the remaining green onions, if desired.

It may not look like much, but the flavors in this are bangin'!

It was great that night and tasted even better the next day as the flavors mixed together.

I'll certainly be making this again in the near future!

Check out some more of my recipes on my Recipes Page