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This BBQ chicken salad meal prep is inspired by the blackened chicken bowls at Sweetgreen. These bowls are delicious and make eating healthy throughout the week a breeze. I doubled down for salad prep this week and made this recipe along with my Salmon Taco Bowls – they share very similar ingredients and use the same jalapeño lime vinaigrette.
Table of Contents
FAQ
I store the veggies individually in the fridge in airtight containers. The lettuce goes in an airtight bag with a piece of paper towel. The other cooked and raw veggies can go in its own Tupperware. For the chicken and quinoa, I portion these into individual sized containers. I prefer to freeze them and defrost overnight, but they should also stay fresh in the fridge for 3 days. Every morning, I’ll assemble the ingredients into my big salad container, pour the dressing, and grab an individual proportioned chicken and quinoa.
For example: Monday – Prep all the veggies, quinoa, and chicken. Eat 1 portion for dinner. Refrigerate the veggies and 1 portion of the quinoa and chicken, and freeze 2 portions.
Tuesday – assemble the salad by adding the romaine, red cabbage, and roast broccoli into a large container. Fill a small container with 3-4 tablespoons of dressing and grab the refrigerated chicken and quinoa. Defrost one frozen chicken and quinoa (for the following day)
Wednesday – same this as Tuesday.
Thursday – same as previous day, but no need to defrost anything else!
You can freeze the cooked quinoa and the cooked chicken, however I wouldn’t recommend freezing the entire assembled salad as a whole. This is because the raw veggies will lose its freshness and become soggy once defrosted.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Greens – I use a combination of romaine lettuce and arugula for a crunchy component from the lettuce and a spicy and aromatic flavor from the arugula. Feel free to substitute your favorite greens like spring mix or spinach.
White Quinoa – You all know I love adding quinoa to salads – It’s a light, protein packed addition that blends in with the flavors and makes this a substantial meal.
BBQ Chicken – I love this BBQ chicken. Usually, I sear it in the cast iron, but this recipe is calls for roasting in the oven for a more hands off approach. I’m using chicken thighs, but you can easily substitute this with chicken breast, firm tofu, or even portobello mushrooms.
Roast Broccoli – A delicious, roast broccoli adds a softer texture and flavor in the overall salad. You can substitute this with broccolini or cauliflower.
Cherry Tomatoes – A vibrant, juicy vegetable that adds flavor and color to this salad. For meal prep, keep the tomatoes whole and slice morning of each day if you have the time.
Red Cabbage – A crunchy addition that I added since I prepped it for the Salmon Taco Bowl I also made. Feel free to omit or substitute shredded carrots.
Ingredients and Substitutions – For the JALAPEÑO Lime Vinaigrette
Jalapeño – The jalapeño adds a boost in the overall flavor of the whole bowl. Some jalapeños are spicier than others, but I always omit the seeds and find this vinaigrette to be mild. If you prefer not to risk it and prefer no spice, you can skip the jalapeño or replace it with 1/4 of a green bell pepper.
Lime Juice – Fresh lime juice makes this vinaigrette so delicious. I use 3 limes, but if you have limes that aren’t filled with juice, you may need to substitute in vinegar or lemon juice. In total, you’ll want about 3 tablespoons of acid for the 1/2 cup of olive oil.
Honey – The touch of sweetness is essential in this vinaigrette – honey and lime are one of my favorite combinations and are key ingredients in the vinaigrette. You can substitute maple syrup or brown sugar.
Cilantro – The herb that I always keep in my fridge and love to add for freshness and flavor. Even if you aren’t a fan of cilantro (I hated it as a kid), I would still recommend you trying it in this recipe. However, if you still want to find a substitution for this, feel free to use mint.
Garlic – I use just one clove of garlic to add a slight kick to the dressing. I don’t particularly love raw garlic, but I find the flavor here to be just right and the raw garlic punch is mellowed out with the fresh lime juice.
Seasonings – Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper are the only seasoning used in this vinaigrette. I keep it simple here so the fresh herby and citrus flavors shine through!
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – I use a high quality generic brand extra virgin olive oil to bring everything together and emulsify the vinaigrette.
Video Tutorial here: BBQ Chicken Salad Meal Prep
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BBQ Chicken Salad Meal Prep
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This BBQ chicken salad is inspired by the blackened chicken bowls at Sweetgreen. These bowls are delicious and make easy healthy easy!
Ingredients
For the BBQ chicken:
- 1.5 lb chicken thighs
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
For the salad:
- 3/4 cup dry quinoa
- 3 heads romaine hearts, (1 bag)
- 1/4 head red cabbage
- 1 bunch of broccoli
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- tortilla chips
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- red pepper flake
For the Jalapeno Lime Dressing:
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 bunch, about 1 cup cilantro (leaves and stems)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 grounds black pepper
- 3 limes, juiced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- To a small pot, add ¾ cup of quinoa with 1.5 cups of water and a generous pinch of kosher salt. Bring up to a simmer, stir, cover, and cook for 15 minutes on low heat. Option to toast the quinoa for 30 seconds before adding the water to bring out a nuttier flavor. Once the quinoa is cooked, open the lid, fluff a bit and let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Add the chicken thighs to the mixing bowl and season with the salt, paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, olive oil, and lemon juice. Once the oven is preheated, add to a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
- Prep the roast broccoli – cut the broccoli into 1” pieces here and include the broccoli stems as well. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil, pinch of kosher salt, red pepper flake, and black pepper. Give everything a toss, then make an even layer. Cook for 15 minutes, checking the veggies and flipping if needed after 10 minutes – this can cook at the same time as the chicken.
- While the chicken and veggies are roasting, begin prepping the remaining raw veggies – wash, dry, and cut the romaine lettuces and cut the red cabbage. Place into containers or ziplock bags.
- Next, make the jalapeno lime dressing. Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and store in a glass jar.
- Once the chicken is finished cooking (~15 minutes), broil for 2 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- Cut the chicken into 1” pieces and store this with the quinoa in small tupperware containers.
- Transfer the roast veggies into a container as well.
- To assemble the salad, add a big handful of the cut romaine to a bowl or to-go container. Add the spicy broccoli and red cabbage to the container, and fill a smaller salad dressing container with the dressing. Once ready to eat, add the quinoa and chicken into the large salad container, mix well with the dressing and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: salad
- Method: oven, stovetop
- Cuisine: american
Other Salad Meal Prep Recipes
If you like healthy, fresh, vegetable forward meal prep options, try these other protein packed salad meal prep options:
The chicken and dressing are f****** FANTASTIC!!! I ate a whole thigh off the hot pan while standing at the stove, it was that good. Ethiopian berbere is a flavorful substitute for paprika in the marinade. Thanks for a great recipe!
awww, thank you Janine!! I love this chicken recipe, and use it in so many different things! I’ve never tried Ethiopian Berbere, but I will look out for it next time I’m at the store. So glad you loved it! 🙂