Light, satisfying, and full of flavor, this lemon arugula salad with roasted chicken and quinoa makes for a delightful, easy lunch or dinner. It’s hearty and filling enough for lunch or dinner. Packed with protein, fiber, and vibrant flavor, it’s a satisfying meal that goes well beyond your average side salad.

A peppery flavor from the arugula and red onions paired with tender chicken and nutty quinoa makes this a satisfying, protein-rich meal that is great for healthy aging. The bright citrus flavor from the fresh lemon juice and zest adds a lively punch. 

Even better, this lemon arugula salad is ideal for meal prep. Cook the quinoa ahead of time and use leftover roasted chicken to pull together a quick lunch or easy weeknight dinner in minutes. For grab-and-go lunches, pack the salad ingredients in a jar or compartment container and keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to eat.

What You Need to Make It

Arugula

Baby arugula is delicious in this. It has a mild peppery flavor that balances with the chicken and quinoa. If you can’t find arugula, baby spinach is another leafy green option.

Roasted Chicken

This salad is a good use for leftover roasted chicken or a rotisserie chicken. Just shred it and add small pieces to the salad. 

Red Onion

Sliced red onion adds a bright color and a fresh bite.

Quinoa

This is a great meal for meal planning. Make some quinoa ahead and mix it into the salad. Quinoa adds both protein and fiber. 

Toasted Walnuts

A nice little crunch and some good, healthy omega-3 fats and antioxidants. 

Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Parmesan cheese adds a little salty bite.

Lemon Juice and Zest

Lemon juice and zest are the base for the dressing. The zest adds a boost of lemony flavor from the essential oils at the very top of the lemon’s skin.

Honey

I like using honey or maple syrup in vinaigrettes. These liquid sweeteners blend easily into a vinaigrette, and honey is a nice, mild sweetener that adds just a touch of sweetness and little flavor to the salad dressing.

Olive Oil

Choose a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil for your dressing. I prefer a California-grown EVOO. Typically, I have a bottle of either Cobram Estates or California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Both are available at most grocery stores. While they may be a bit more expensive, the flavor is worth it, and you don’t need much.

How To Make the Lemon Arugula Salad

The most time-consuming part of this is making the dressing…and that takes no more than 5 minutes! 

Step 1 – Make the Lemon Vinaigrette

Place the lemon juice, zest, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper in a small mason jar. Seal and shake to combine.

Step 2 – Assemble the Salad

Place the arugula in a large bowl. Add the roasted chicken, quinoa, red onions, parmesan cheese, and chopped walnuts. 

Step 3 – Add the dressing 

Drizzle the dressing over the top and toss to coat all the ingredients.

Storage Tips

This will store well overnight in the fridge, just be sure to keep the dressing in a separate container and add it right before serving.

You could also pack this up in a jar or bento-like box and take it on the go.

To trick to making a jar salad is how you layer it! It is backwards from how you’d make it in a bowl.

Step 1 – Start with the dressing on the bottom and add something that will soak it up, like the quinoa.

Step 2 – Then add the “meat” of the salad – the crunchy things and hearty add ins. For this one I layered the red onions, then the chicken and then the walnuts on top of the quinoa and topped those off with the shaved parmesan.

Step 3 – Finish it up with the greens and more tender ingredients, like the arugula. Seal it up and store it in the fridge.

When you’re ready, open the jar and dump it into a bowl. The arugula will be on the bottom and the other ingredients will land on top, finishing with the flavorful quinoa. Mix it all together to coat everything with the dressing.

Want to learn more about how to build a healthy salad? Head over to my post to learn about the 7 steps I think are the trick to making a healthy salad