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Grilled Turmeric Chicken Salad Recipe – mixed greens, juicy turmeric chicken, roasted acorn squash, quinoa, pepitas, cranberries and delicious pumpkin vinaigrette. 

grilled-turmeric-chicken-salad-pumpkin-vinaigrette


This Grilled Turmeric Chicken Salad Recipe is just perfect for a light dinner or lunch.

You and also prepare it in advance and pack it for a work lunch.

Seasonal ingredients are the best way to go, when I make my salads. And this one perfectly describes my mood today. Fall!!!

I’m impressed with the way this pumpkin vinaigrette turned out. It is awesome!

I did try Trader Joe’s pumpkin salad dressing and it inspired me to make my own.

I’ve been obsessed with pumpkin lately.

Most recipes call for just 1/2 or 1 cup of pumpkin puree. This means, that you need to open a whole can of pumpkin and just use some of it, then keep it in the fridge.

It can easily go bad, if you forget to use the rest on time.

So besides giving my dog a tablespoon of pumpkin with his food (fiber!), I’ve ben making all sorts of pumpkin recipes like – salad dressing, pumpkin pull-apart bread and even pumpkin risotto (recipe soon).

Did I mention pumpkin tiramisu (recipe soon ๐Ÿ™‚ )?

Grilled-Turmeric-Chicken-Salad-Recipe

Enough, let’s get to the recipe.

What ingredients do you need to make this Grilled Turmeric Chicken Salad?

For the roasted acorn squash:

  • 1 acorn squash, cut in half, seeds removed andย cut into 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) slices
  • 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the turmeric chicken:

  • two 6-8 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried parsley

For the pumpkin vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

For the salad:

How to make this Grilled Turmeric Chicken salad?

For the roasted acorn squash:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
  2. Lightly grease baking sheet with coconut oil.
  3. Place acorn squash slices on the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add some coconut oil on top of each slice.
  4. Roast squash for 25-30 minutes, turning once.
  5. For the turmeric chicken:
  6. In a small bowl combineย 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp dried parsley and stir. Add chicken breasts and toss to make sure they are covered in seasoning.
  7. Preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat (400-450 F).
  8. Grill chicken for 6-8 minutes per side, until cooked and juices run clear.
  9. Let chicken sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then slice.

For the pumpkin vinaigrette:

  1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients for the dressing, besides the olive oil. Mix to combine.
  2. Pour olive oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly. (Alternatively, use a food processor or blender and pulse all ingredients besides the olive oil a few times. In a thin stream, with the food processor running on low, slowly drizzle the olive oil in the food processor.)
  3. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up t a week.

For the salad:

  1. Place mixed greens in a bowl.
  2. Add quinoa, roasted acorn squash slices, pepitas, cranberries, sliced chicken and top with pumpkin vinaigrette dressing.

This Grilled Turmeric Chicken Salad is almost like a quinoa bowl with greens overload.

I’ve always wanted to use more turmeric in my recipes. I used the powder one this time, but my local grocery store always carries fresh turmeric, which is great!

Turmeric is the main spice in curry and considered a very powerful herb. It is anti-oxidant with anti-inflammatory and other health benefits. Read more about it here.

I’ve love golden milk.

I thought it was time to make some grilled turmeric chicken. It tastes great!

I seasoned it with turmeric, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Then I grilled it. You can also cook chicken in the oven.

Grilled-Turmeric-Chicken-Salad-Recipe

As I said, everything could be made in advance and you can enjoy this salad next day or pack it for work.

Recipes  like this are all I need right now!

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grilled turmeric chicken salad pumpkin vinaigrette
5 from 1 vote

GRILLED TURMERIC CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE

Grilled Turmeric Chicken Salad Recipe – mixed greens, juicy turmeric chicken, roasted acorn squash, quinoa, pepitas, cranberries and delicious pumpkin vinaigrette.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Video

Ingredients 

FOR THE ROASTED ACORN SQUASH:

  • 1 acorn squash, , cut in half, seeds removed and cut into 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) slices
  • 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE TURMERIC CHICKEN:

  • two 6-8 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried parsley

FOR THE PUMPKIN VINAIGRETTE:

  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

FOR THE SALAD:

  • 4 cups mixed greens
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa, (see how to cook it in this recipe)
  • 1/4 cup pepitas
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Instructions 

FOR THE ROASTED ACORN SQUASH:

  • Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C).
  • Lightly grease baking sheet with coconut oil.
  • Place acorn squash slices on the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add some coconut oil on top of each slice.
  • Roast squash for 25-30 minutes, turning once.
  • For the turmeric chicken:
  • In a small bowl combine 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp dried parsley and stir. Add chicken breasts and toss to make sure they are covered in seasoning.
  • Preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat (400-450 F).
  • Grill chicken for 6-8 minutes per side, until cooked and juices run clear.
  • Let chicken sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then slice.

FOR THE PUMPKIN VINAIGRETTE:

  • In a bowl, combine all ingredients for the dressing, besides the olive oil. Mix to combine.
  • Pour olive oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly. (Alternatively, use a food processor or blender and pulse all ingredients besides the olive oil a few times. In a thin stream, with the food processor running on low, slowly drizzle the olive oil in the food processor.)
  • Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up t a week.

FOR THE SALAD:

  • Place mixed greens in a bowl.
  • Add quinoa, roasted acorn squash slices, pepitas, cranberries, sliced chicken and top with pumpkin vinaigrette dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 711kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 51g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 1024mg, Potassium: 1016mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 3290IU, Vitamin C: 24.6mg, Calcium: 62mg, Iron: 3.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @cookinglsl or tag #cookinglsl!

Grilled-Turmeric-Chicken-Salad

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Hi! I'm Mira.

I share simple, mostly low-carb and Keto recipes, that don't take a lot of time to make and use mostly seasonal, easy to find ingredients. I'm a supporter of healthy eating, but you'll also find some indulgent treats too.

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12 Comments

  1. This salad looks so beautiful! I love the addition of acorn squash, and the vinaigrette sounds soo delicious. Such a perfect Autumnal dish! Pinned!

  2. Oh this salad looks so pretty, Mira! I love all of the seasonal ingredients in here! That pumpkin vinaigrette is calling my name. And I love that you flavored the chicken with tumeric!

  3. I love using turmeric, not only for the color but the health benefits too. This is a salad I could eat everyday and I can’t wait to try the dressing.

  4. I’m always obsessed with pumpkin, so no judgments here! Your salads are so beautiful and I’m always on the lookout for a good one like this to pack for lunch!

  5. Oh my gosh, pumpkin dressing??? Where has this even been my entire life? This salad is absolutely stunning and totally the kinda fall food I NEED in my life today!

  6. This looks amazing! Using pumpkin in a salad dressing sounds delicious and smart-I always have extra pumpkin puree.

      1. Hey, I know what you mean. Pumpkin has fiber and I often add a little bit to my dog’s food, this is why I have a can open. But sometimes it goes bad, if I don’t use it quick enough.

  7. Mira, I love turmeric and your turmeric chicken sounds delicious – I especially LOVE your pairing of it with that pumpkin vinaigrette, squash and quinoa! What a delightfully delicious bowl!