Jennifer Aniston Salad (High Protein!)

quinoa salad with chickpeas, red onion, and chicken in a bowl with fresh herbs.

Jennifer Aniston Salad (High Protein!)

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: jennifer aniston salad

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 35

Servings:

Calories: 573kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

This salad is inspired by the viral recipe going around the internet. With a ratio of 30% protein, it will help keep you feeling satisfied. Perfect for meal prep!

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Ingredients

¾ cup uncooked quinoa
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove , minced
fine sea salt and black pepper
1 medium cucumber , chopped
½ small red onion
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas , rinsed and drained
½ cup flat-leaf parsley , chopped
¼ cup fresh mint , chopped
16 ounces cooked chicken , shredded or cubed
⅓ cup feta , crumbled
⅓ cup roasted pistachios

Instructions

Place the dry quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it under running water until you see no foam or bubbles on top. (This helps to remove any bitter flavor.) Transfer the rinsed quinoa to a small saucepan and cover it with 1 ¼ cups water. Bring the liquid to a boil. Once it's boiling, cover the pot with a lid and set the heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the pot from the heat, but keep the lid on for 5 more minutes. Then, fluff the quinoa with a fork and set it aside to cool.
In a large bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt, and a ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir briefly to combine.
To the bowl of dressing, add the chopped cucumber, red onion, drained chickpeas, parsley, and mint. Add the slightly cooled quinoa and stir well. Then add the chicken, feta, and pistachios. Season with additional salt, as needed. (Add a 1/4 teaspoon at a time to avoid overseasoning.)
This salad is ready to serve immediately, or you can store it in the fridge to chill. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Divide it into 4 separate containers for an easy meal prep option.

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1/4 of this recipe or roughly 2 cups of salad. (Assuming you get 8 cups total from this recipe.) This information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, so it's just an estimate and not a guarantee.

Calculating Protein Percentage: Multiply the grams of protein per serving by 4. (For example, one serving here has 43 grams of protein, so it's 43 x 4= 172 calories from protein.) Then, divide that number by the total calories per serving. So, 172 ÷ 572 = .30069. That means roughly 30% of the calories in this recipe come from protein. If you get a decimal like .25 then that would mean 25% of the calories come from protein.

Make it Vegetarian: Swap the baked chicken for baked tofu or edamame. They don't have as much protein as chicken, but they are still a good source of plant-based protein.

Nutrition