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What do you do with the remnants of a rotisserie chicken, some random stuff that needs using from the vegetable drawer (radishes, a carrot, mini bell peppers, flat-leaf parsley), and some grape tomatoes the kids haven’t found yet?
This quickie salad, for one. It makes a nice light weeknight dinner; do as my husband did and dibs the leftovers for lunch. I make it in the morning and store it in the refrigerator all day, for a lightning-fast dinner that night.
I am a grains hoarder, with an abundant variety of grains and grain mixes in my pantry, so I chose Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend – a mix of Israeli couscous, orzo, baby garbanzos and red quinoa. It cooks in 10-ish minutes, has a wonderful chew, and is my new favorite thing. I recommend it. I often make the grains the night before, and store them in the refrigerator.
Dressing: I used a few squirts of a homemade mustardy vinaigrette, and a few squirts of a bottled Italian I had on hand. For homemade, you could mix a quick dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest or a squirt of juice, and call it a day. This is supposed to be quick, so don’t fuss too much! Leave out whatever veggie you don’t like, or sub something else in its place.
It’s easy to make this salad your own.
Recipe: Chicken and Israeli Couscous Vegetable Salad
Summary: Fast and easy vegetable-centric grains salad enriched with rotisserie chicken makes a great weeknight meal.
Ingredients
3 cups cooked Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend (or Israeli couscous), cooled (*see note below) [this is 1 1/4 cups dry grains blend, cooked to package directions]- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 2-3 thinly sliced green onions
- 4 diced radishes
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 4 mini yellow bell peppers, seeded and diced
- 25 grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Bottled salad dressing
- Garnish: Chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add cooked grains or couscous, chicken, onions, radishes, carrot, bell pepper, tomatoes and parsley. Mix gently.
- Sprinkle lightly with ground cumin, drizzle some dressing over the salad and mix again to combine. Taste and add additional dressing or cumin, if needed. Refrigerate.
- To serve, portion into 4 wide bowls and garnish with basil shreds if you like.
- Serves 4 for a main dish, or more as a side dish.
Quick notes
*If you don’t want to use the TJ’s grains blend, use cooked rice, barley, wheat berries, couscous, orzo or anything similar. Use what you have hanging around!
Recipe source
Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious. This recipe was first published in March 2010, and I have updated it here today.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: USA (General)
My rating
Throughout the week, you can find the #SundaySupper food blogger team also sharing #WeekdaySupper meals. Getting families back to the dinner table is our mission, and I hope we inspire you to try some of our delicious recipes. You can find them on our Pinterest Boards, too. Please join us there and try something!
This week’s easy Weekday Supper recipes are:
- Monday – Stuffed Orzo Salad by MealDiva
- Tuesday – Grilled, Garlicky Lamb Lollipops by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Wednesday – Easy Japanese Savory Okonomiyaki Pancakes by NinjaBaking.com
- Thursday – Chicken and Israeli Couscous Vegetable Salad by Shockingly Delicious
- Friday – Coconut Rice Pilaf with Peas & Fresh Herbs by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
Welcome to my kitchen!
At ShockD, you’ll find scrumptious, tried & true, "scary good" recipes, tips and coaching to make YOU a fabulous home cook! Don't blame me if you need a 12-step program to wean yourself away!
E-mail me: Dorothy.Reinhold@gmail.com
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I really love how flavorful this is!
All these vegetables in one dish. I want this for dinner tonight!
I love dinners like this! So delicious and a great way to use up what you have!
Wow this salad looks soooo tasty!
Such a tasty meal and I enjoy making it!
What a delicious looking salad! Love all the colors and flavors!
Yummm ! Love all the ingredients!!
Thanks Sue!
Wish we had a Trader Joe’s near us. I like that grain mix but can just create my own…your salad sounds good.
Karen,
Yeah, the beauty of that mix is all of the grains are parcooked so when you cook them from the bag, they all cook at the same time, and very quickly. If you make your own mix, you may need to cook your grains at different rates, depending on what you use. Or just use a single grain like Israeli couscous and call it a day!
This looks beautiful, I love the colors!
Adriana,
Thank you! A pretty dish stands out on the buffet table, eh?
I discovered Israeli couscous a couple summers ago and haven’t looked back! I highly prefer it to regular couscous. I have never tried this Trader Joe’s blend you’ve used though, it looks yummy. As does the rest of the salad – I love using up rotisserie chicken in salads of any kind!
Julie,
Seriously, you’re gonna LOVE this particular blend. Best of all worlds!
Just gorgeous! I really love the color variety of the grape tomatoes — yum! I can’t wait to try out your salad!
Jennifer,
I agree! Variety grape tomatoes can make and dish a party dish!
Perfect salad with all my favorite ingredients – such a pretty shot. Pinning –
Liz,
Thank you!
Meal Diva,
YOU DO!
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