If you are someone who enjoys quinoa or brown rice, I’m willing to bet you’d also be a fan of farro. Farro is an ancient grain that makes an appearance in our household all the time, and it’s a nice change of pace sometimes from quinoa, barley, and other types of grains. My go to farro is from Trader Joe’s because it’s cheap and cooks quickly, and this lemon farro salad recipe is one of my favorites to make with it. Enjoy!

Lemon Farro Salad with Chicken and Artichokes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients for the salad

• 1 cup farro
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
• 1 14-ounce can of artichokes, drained and chopped
• Half a cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 green onions, diced
• Crumbled cheese, optional

Ingredients for the dressing

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp grated lemon rind
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Cook farro according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.
2. Add the cooked chicken, artichokes, cucumber, red bell pepper, and green onions to the farro.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, oil, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper. Whisk well, and pour the dressing over the farro, chicken, and veggie mixture.
4. Season again with salt and pepper if needed, and top with the optional cheese if using.

You can really cook the chicken in this dish however you want. We’ve made this with grilled chicken before, but we’ve also cooked up a whole chicken in the oven and shredded the meat from the chicken breasts. That part is up to you!

I love this dish because the flavors are so fresh and the meal itself provides you with a nice balance of protein, veggies, and carbs! It’s the perfect spring salad with the green onions, cucumber, and artichokes. The lemon also gives the dish a slight pop of acid without being overwhelmingly lemony. It’s an awesome one for making lunch ahead of time or serving as a side for company. I also really enjoy sprinkling goat cheese on this because it gives the dish just the right amount of creaminess to play against the lemon and crunch of the cukes and peppers.

If you give this a try, let me know by posting it on social media at tagging me @achievewithathena with #achieveawesome. Hope you love it!

For other farro recipes on the blog, check out:

Warm farro salad with orange and cranberries

Delicata squash and farro risotto

Sweet potato, farro, and veggie casserole

Farro and veggie stuffed pattypan squash