Citrus Chicken Quinoa Salad

Brent asked what were were having for supper and I replied, "Salad..  With chicken and oranges and stuff."  I failed to mention there was quinoa in it because the last time I made a dish with it in there he didn't like it.  It was a quinoa stir fry and he wasn't impressed so he just assumed he didn't like quinoa.  Turns out he likes it, just not in a stir fry :)  

This turned out super good and I got the recipe on Pinterest (duh).  The gal said that this was awesome as leftovers and boy was she right!

As far as my quinoa goes, all I had was the Inca Red Heirloom verity.  It tasted the same so why not use what you have?

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups cooked quinoa 
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cloves roasted garlic, chopped*
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large oranges, peeled and segmented
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed

DRESSING

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (packed)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon honey

Directions:

Cook quinoa according to package directions But leftovers are great! Transfer cooked quinoa to a large bowl and let cool.

Pour olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and roasted garlic, stirring it all around to coat with oil. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and salt. Stir and cook until chicken is done, about 8 minutes. Add cooked chicken, oranges, and avocado to the quinoa. Stir to combine. Set aside.

For the dressing: whisk all of the dressing ingredients together. Pour over salad and toss to coat everything evenly. Serve immediately. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

 *(I did what she said not to do and used the jar of roasted garlic - I love to cook but I hate food smell in my house so I'm lazy when it comes to that stuff)