There are some recipes that I make once and enjoy, and then there are the recipes that very quickly earn a place in the regular rotation.
This Poached Chicken Quinoa Salad with Charred Broccoli & Lemon Mustard Dressing is very much the latter.
It is generous, fresh and full of flavour, but perhaps what I love most is just how useful it is.
Spring always seems to bring a little more energy with it. The days get longer, we come out of hibernation a little, invitations begin to open up again and I find myself wanting food that feels lighter and brighter. Not necessarily “light” in the sense of leaving you hungry an hour later, but food that feels alive with fresh herbs, lemon, lovely vegetables and plenty of texture.
This salad ticks all of those boxes.
There is fluffy quinoa, tender poached chicken, charred broccoli and zucchini, lots of fresh dill and toasted almonds. Then there is the lemon mustard dressing, which is bright and punchy and brings everything together.
And importantly, it is a proper meal.
I am increasingly drawn to recipes that can move easily through the week with us.
I love cooking very much, but I don’t believe we need to start from scratch every single time we want something good to eat.
A little preparation can make such a difference.
The quinoa for this salad can be cooked a day or two ahead and kept in the fridge. The chicken can also be gently poached ahead of time. The lemon mustard dressing will happily wait for you in a jar.
Suddenly, most of the work is already done.
That might mean making the components on a Sunday afternoon and knowing Monday’s lunch is taken care of. It could mean having something delicious waiting when everyone arrives home hungry. Or it might mean that when friends are coming over, you’re not standing in the kitchen doing everything at the last minute.
I love that kind of cooking.
It is not meal preparation in a rigid, five-identical-containers-lined-up-in-the-fridge sort of way. It is simply giving yourself a little head start.
Poaching chicken is such a gentle way to cook it and, done well, gives you beautifully tender meat that is perfect for salads.
I like to add a little lemon peel, peppercorns and some dill stalks to the poaching water. Nothing complicated. It just gives the chicken a little extra love as it cooks.
Once it has cooled, I tear the chicken rather than slicing it into very neat pieces. I love those lovely chunks and shreds throughout the salad. It feels a little more relaxed and means the dressing finds its way into all those uneven edges.
If you are making the chicken ahead, keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the salad.
Broccoli and zucchini are both beautiful here, especially when they have some colour on them.
I cook them in a hot pan, grill pan or on the barbecue until they have those lovely charred edges but still retain some texture.
That little bit of caramelisation adds so much flavour.
And please use the broccoli stalk too. Peel away the tougher outside, slice the tender centre and cook it along with the florets. It is delicious and there is absolutely no reason for it to end up in the bin.
As spring moves on, you can play with the vegetables too.
Asparagus would be wonderful. So would green beans, peas or broad beans. This is very much a recipe that can bend a little depending on what looks good and what you already have.
The dressing is deliberately quite lively.
Quinoa needs a dressing with personality, and the combination of fresh lemon, wholegrain mustard, Dijon mustard, a little honey and extra virgin olive oil gives you exactly that.
Taste it before you use it.
This is always important.
Depending on your lemons and mustard, you might decide it needs another pinch of salt, another squeeze of lemon or a touch more honey.
Recipes are guides, but your own palate gets the final say.
I like to dress the quinoa first while it is sitting in the platter, then add the chicken, vegetables, herbs and more dressing. That way, the flavour runs through the whole salad rather than sitting only on the top.
This is one of those recipes that changes personality depending on how you serve it.
For lunch, portion some quinoa, chicken and vegetables into containers and keep the dressing separate. Add the dill and toasted almonds when you are ready to eat if you want them at their freshest.
For dinner, pile everything into a large bowl and put it straight in the middle of the table.
And if friends are coming over, use your biggest platter.
Spread the quinoa out, arrange the chicken and charred vegetables generously over the top and finish with plenty of fresh dill, toasted flaked almonds, black pepper and a few lemon wedges.
There is something about putting food onto a generous platter that instantly changes the feel of it.
Same salad. Very little extra effort. Suddenly it feels like a beautiful lunch with friends.
That is my kind of entertaining.
There is plenty of room to make this salad work for your table.
For a vegetarian version, leave out the chicken and add chickpeas, edamame, lentils or crumbled feta. Roasted cauliflower would also be lovely.
You could add baby spinach or rocket if you have some. A handful of parsley would happily join the dill. And if toasted almonds aren’t in the cupboard, another nut or seed would be absolutely fine.
This isn’t meant to be the kind of recipe that sends you back to the shops because you are missing one ingredient.
Use the recipe as your starting point and make it work for you.
I hope this Poached Chicken Quinoa Salad with Charred Broccoli & Lemon Mustard Dressing earns a place in your repertoire too.
Make it for dinner. Make it ahead for lunch. Pile it onto a beautiful platter and invite someone over.
Good food can be very special without being complicated.
And I think this one is proof of that.
Nellie xx
Since 2009, I’ve been bringing people together around real food, recipes made to cook, share, and enjoy.
If you whipped up this recipe and thought “yum!”, the Relish Mama Cooking Club is for you.
Join Nellie online each month for live cooking classes, and receive fresh, achievable recipes and meal ideas every week. It’s like having Relish Mama in your kitchen – keeping dinner interesting, seasonal and joy-filled.
Members also enjoy special perks for in person and online classes, plus a warm community of food lovers who are always ready to share what they’re cooking.
Subscribe below to receive a working week of truly delicious dinners – all under 30 minutes.
