Healthy chicken rice salad for a cold lunch idea

Sometimes you just want an easy filling lunch to prepare for work, here is a recipe you will love, delicious cold it is perfect for a lunch on the go if your job means you do not have access to a microwave.

My recipe for chicken rice salad as a delicious lunch is a firm family favourite. Perfect as a lighter meal during the summer months or as a packed lunch that you can prepare in advance, it’s a winner, that’s for sure.

Embarking on a Healthy Eating Journey

Whether you are aiming to lose weight for a special occasion or realise that you need to be a better role model for your children, a healthy eating journey does not have to be boring. Finding dishes you love, like this one, can make things much easier.

This recipe contains chicken stock and I tend to use Knorr stock pots when cooking for my family. You should always look at the amount of salt in stock cubes, pots or ready-made pouches as this can make a difference to the flavour of the dish and we all know that too much salt is bad for your body.

The combination of chilli and red grapes blend perfectly to give a hit of spice and a ping of freshness along with the zesty orange juice. The chilli is also known to boost your metabolism.

Health Benefits of this Dish

On the surface, a chicken rice salad dish probably looks as though it is a gym goer’s favourite meal. However, far beyond this, it is so tasty that it is hard to believe it actually has numerous health benefits.

Ok, so in the past, I have turned my nose up at the thought of brown rather than white rice. In fact, this offers a nuttier flavour and is perfect in this dish. Brown rice is a complex carbohydrate, slowly releasing energy throughout the day, making it an excellent choice for sustained energy. It’s also a fab way to get fibre into your diet as well as providing essential vitamins and minerals.

Chicken is also a great food to have in your diet as it is a low-fat source of protein, which is great for bone health and development, boosting your metabolism, and building and repairing muscles.

The combination of brown rice and chicken in this delicious meal ensure that you have a great balance, providing a lovely meal option for both athletes and those looking to maintain a healthy diet.

When is chicken rice salad perfect for lunch?

Chicken rice salad is one of my family’s all-time favourite lunches. It has evolved somewhat over the years, but the basic ingredients remain the same, and it is still one of the most requested meals in my household in the summer.

Is it just me who struggles to think of things to take to work for lunch? I think many probably enjoyed not having to do this during the lockdowns we have had over the past year and a bit.

If the above sounds like you, stop and rejoice, for here is a simple-to-prepare dish that will fit perfectly into your weekly meal planner.

It’s also very easy to make, and you can whizz up a few portions at once. In addition, it requires cooked chicken breast meat, so it could be an excellent way of using up the leftover meat from a roast dinner. 

Alternatives to Chicken Breast

Chicken breast seems to be the nation’s favourite meat when it comes to adding to salad. However, chicken thighs are also a possibility – much juicier and flavoursome, according to many top chefs.

While chicken is a great meat to use when you have leftovers, if you haven’t got any, there are plenty of other options for you, depending on your personal tastes.

Turkey, similar white meat, can be a good substitute – just as yummy (so I’m told!) and not restricted to Christmas time.

However, this is definitely a great meal over the festive period when you are sick of roast dinners and turkey curry.

Slightly stronger flavoured meat is duck breast. It is unlikely you’d have any leftovers from a meal, though, but it can work well in this dish.

For non-meat eaters, alternative protein sources you could use in this dish would be a Quorn fillet, tofu, tempeh, mushrooms or aubergine.

Alternative flavours to try

My chicken rice salad has an intense flavour from the balsamic vinegar and a hint of spice from the red chilli and tanginess from the zest of an orange.

If you prefer not to have tingling lips, use half a tablespoon of red chilli instead, and be sure to remove the seeds. I love the addition of red grapes to this, as it gives a touch of freshness to the dish.

Instead of grapes, you could add orange segments or even melon for alternative flavours! Have you ever tried persimmon in a salad? It is delicious!

Alternatives to brown rice

There is no real reason you have to use brown rice in this dish; it is healthier and works better, but if you don’t like it, use white instead or perhaps white with wild rice.

Other adaptions to your chicken rice salad

It is really easy to add any favourite vegetables to this dish. Peas or sweetcorn work well in a rice salad but to be honest, whatever you like, pop it in!

You are the one who will eat it so have it any way you like!

Chicken rice salad for weight loss

If you follow Slimming World, Weight Watchers (WW), Noom or any other weight loss plan, you can usually count the ingredients within this recipe in your allowances.

It is, of course, important to check any plan you follow and remember all nutritional information and ingredients are found in the recipe card below.

Other recipes you might enjoy

If you like dips, check out my dip directory full of all my tasty dip recipes perfect for any BBQ or party!

The selection includes a vegan red pepper dip, spicy lentil dip, coleslaw, tangy chilli salsa and red pepper houmous.

You might also like to check my BBQ guide and see if there are any new BBQ foods you might not have considered before like falafel burgers, pork burgers, cajun chicken and sticky chicken.

I also have a guide to healthy meat choices if that helps too.

A few other recipes I think you will love are:

Tomato and mozzarella salad

Bruschetta pasta salad

5 homemade salad dressings

Homemade hash browns

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