Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad

5 from 2 votes
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#SundaySupper is inviting you to a picnic! I’ve combined so many favorite flavors into one satisfying recipe that’s still healthy because it’s made with Greek yogurt. Perfect on a sandwich, on a salad, or just on a plate, for a cool dinner or lunch all week, mix up some Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad.

Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad

Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad - combine a healthy Greek yogurt Ranch dressing with your favorite barbecue sauce for a satisfying cool dinner or lunches all week. | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free recipe

So I always heard those stories about parents who spend their weekends running their kids from one thing to another and barely getting time to breathe, and I am finally getting my first taste of it. We have had houseguests for three of the past five weekends, but the two free weekends, well, let’s just say “free” is relative. The one free weekend was Easter weekend, and Saturday was karate to Easter egg hunt to birthday party, leaving the house at 8:45 am and not returning till about 6 in the evening. Sunday was, well, Easter, and even though it was low key, it was still church, brunch, and bike riding with the kiddos.

The you have this weekend. Last night after work and school for everyone, the boys needed haircuts and new shoes. Since we were at the mall, we had dinner there and let the kids play at the indoor play area, lest we get ourselves mired in traffic from everyone fleeing DC on Friday evening. So it was a late bedtime for the dudes.

This morning, I got up at 6 am to go for a 4 mile run/1 1/4 mile walk (don’t ask – wrong turn) while The Hubby got the kids up and fed. Then we did actually have couple hours to do a few things around the house while the boys played, but then it was into the tee ball uniform, and off to the game. After the game, The Bug ate lunch in the car as The Hubby drove him to Opening Day Ceremonies while I brought Little Dude home for lunch and to grab a smoothie for myself. Then The Bug came home, we ripped off his uniform, threw on shorts and headed out the door to a birthday party, for which we were 30 minutes late. Ugh! Luckily we we go there the kids were just roaming the party room waiting for pizza before they had cake and headed to the rides and arcade of the next three hours. I texted The Hubby as we left and he started dinner.

We came home, ate, bathed a couple of sweaty, nasty boys, got their sweaty, nasty laundry washing, got them to bed, and yes, right now, over 18,000 steps later, I’m pretty much about to pass out. Or, you know, finish up this blog post that I never got to this week and then hang out on my couch with a couple of friends named Ben and Jerry. Oh, but wait, two more loads of laundry to finish.

And this is mainly just for one kid. I’m a little scared about what it will be like with the two of them! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – God bless those of you who have three or four or more! I am in awe and admiration!

But next weekend all we have is one early Saturday morning tee ball game and then we are free FREE FREEEEEE! Maybe, just maybe we will pack the boys and some lunch and go have picnic at the park. Or heck, maybe we will head to the Mall in DC (I’ve been daydreaming about picnicking amongst the monuments since the snowy day that we moved to Maryland). And maybe, just maybe I’ll pack some of this into our cooler…

Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad - combine a healthy Greek yogurt Ranch dressing with your favorite barbecue sauce for a satisfying cool dinner or lunches all week. | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free recipe

So let me tell you something, if there is a recipe that gets my kids to eat quinoa, you know it’s good. And I’m not just talking about just eating it when they are home with me because if they want a snack they have to eat at least a reasonable portion of their dinner. I’m talking about, they ate it at school for lunch, without mom watching! But really, what kid doesn’t love these flavors? It’s Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad! Inspired by my Bacon Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad, I took a few of my kids’ favorites – a slight variation of my Pantry Greek Yogurt Ranch (I happened to have fresh dill and parsley, but you can still use dried), our favorite barbecue sauce, and a bit of shredded cheddar cheese – and mixed it all up with some cooked and cooled quinoa and leftover chicken, and there ya’ go. Dinner (or lunch or random snack) is served! All whole grain and gluten free and high protein and healthy-like, but it takes like barbecue and ranch and yum!!!

Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad - combine a healthy Greek yogurt Ranch dressing with your favorite barbecue sauce for a satisfying cool dinner or lunches all week. | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free recipe

 

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

 

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Then get inspiration from appetizers and sides to mains and desserts for all of your summer picnicking fun at the bottom of this post!

Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad - combine a healthy Greek yogurt Ranch dressing with your favorite barbecue sauce for a satisfying cool dinner or lunches all week. | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free recipe

How do you or did you juggle all of your kids’ activities?

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Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad
5 from 2 votes

Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad

A healthy combination of your favorite flavors that is perfect for a cool dinner or lunches all week.
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For Barbecue Ranch Dressing:

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/4 cup barbecue sauce

For Chicken Salad:

  • 2 cups cooked quinoa cooled
  • 1 cup shredded cooked chicken cooled
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese about 2 oz.
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes or halved grape or cherry tomatoes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, olive oil, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, dill, and barbecue sauce, and stir until combined. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, chicken, and cheddar cheese.
  • Add the barbecue ranch dressing and stir to combine.
  • Add the tomatoes and gently toss.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Nutrition Facts
Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 322 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 4g20%
Cholesterol 42mg14%
Sodium 678mg28%
Potassium 409mg12%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 3g12%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 21g42%
Vitamin A 335IU7%
Vitamin C 4.5mg5%
Calcium 199mg20%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Categories:

Here are some more quinoa chicken combos you won’t be able to resist…

Mango-Avocado-Quinoa-Chicken-Salad-1-title.jpg Slow-Cooker-Buffalo-Chicken-Quinoa-Casserole-recipe-1-title.jpg Strawberry-Lime-and-Feta-Chicken-Quinoa-Salad-5-title.jpg.jpg

Plus the rest of today’s #SundaySupper Picnic menu…

Appetizers:

Beverages:

Main Dishes:

Sides:

Soups and Salads:

Desserts:

Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad - combine a healthy Greek yogurt Ranch dressing with your favorite barbecue sauce for a satisfying cool dinner or lunches all week. | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free recipe
Barbecue Ranch Quinoa Chicken Salad - combine a healthy Greek yogurt Ranch dressing with your favorite barbecue sauce for a satisfying cool dinner or lunches all week. | cupcakesandkalechips.com | gluten free recipe

28 Comments
  1. SaraLiz

    5 stars
    I just had to take a minute to say thank you for sharing this recipe. I think I’ve made it every week now since stumbling across it on Pinterest a month or two ago. I make up a double batch and we eat it for lunches during the week. I don’t put any chicken in it, and it’s still so good! We even tried a variation using buffalo sauce instead of bbq and celery instead of the tomatoes, and that was amazing! It’s also very Weight Watchers friendly if you leave out / cut back on the cheese.
    So thank you for posting this healthy, versatile, delicious salad!

  2. Linda | Brunch with Joy

    Oh wow – sounds like you have a busy life. Our schedules are pretty much close to that so whenever possible, we try to stay home and do nothing. This quinoa salad looks scrumptious and I need a big bowl of this. Yum!!!

  3. 5 stars
    I think I hit the ground running ever since our daughter arrived. At no age does it seem to let up. Your chicken and quinoa salad looks picture perfect for a picnic!!

  4. Oh man, how I can relate to the busy and trying to get it all done! I am glad you have a free weekend next week, though! This salad with BBQ chicken and quinoa looks so so good!

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