I love a good salad, especially one that is loaded with vegetables that have been roasted until caramelized and sweet. With the addition of quinoa and chicken, this salad is sure to fill you up, making it a perfect main dish for lunch or dinner. The salad comes together quickly too, thanks to a trusty baking sheet and oven.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This salad holds up well too, so what you don’t eat for dinner, can easily be stored in the refrigerator for lunch the next day. Just be sure to keep the dressing separate.
To make this salad. Preheat the oven to roast at 425 deg F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Wash and slice one delicata squash into ¼ inch slices. Pile squash onto the baking sheet along with two chicken breasts and half of a chopped sweet onion. Drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt and one teaspoon of dried thyme. Roast for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the squash and onions have taken on a golden color. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
To assemble the salad, layer 3 large handfuls of baby arugula (about four cups) onto a platter. Top with ½ cup of cooked quinoa, sliced roasted chicken, squash and onion. Lastly, sprinkle the salad with 2 tablespoons of roasted pumpkin seeds and two tablespoons of blueberries.
Pour dressing over top of the salad and serve. This salad keeps best in the refrigerator undressed, so only dress what you plan on eating.
To make the salad dressing, mix ½ cup of olive oil, three tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of maple syrup, ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper in a bowl or mason jar. Whisk or shake until smooth.
Tip! Use a zester (like this one) to grate garlic into the salad dressing. It’s much easier than mincing the garlic by hand. Also, I highly recommend using a small glass mason jar to mix your salad dressings. It makes for easy blending and storage.
Roasted Fall Salad with Delicata Squash and Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized delicata squash, sliced ¼ in thick
- 2 chicken breast
- ½ sweet onion, chopped
- 4 cups baby arugula
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
- 2 tbsps. roasted pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsps. dried blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to roast at 425 deg F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Wash and slice one delicata squash into ¼ inch slices and place on baking sheet with two chicken breasts and half of a chopped sweet onion.
- Drizzle chicken and vegetables with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.
- Roast for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the squash and onions have taken on a golden color. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- To assemble the salad, layer 3 large handfuls of baby arugula (about four cups) onto a platter. Top with ½ cup of cooked quinoa, sliced roasted chicken, squash and onion.
- Sprinkle the salad with 2 tablespoons of roasted pumpkin seeds and two tablespoons of blueberries.
- For salad dressing, mix ½ cup of olive oil, three tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of maple syrup, ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper in a bowl or mason jar. Whisk or shake until smooth.
- Pour dressing over top of the salad and serve.
