chicken salad recipe — Cooking During Stolen Moments

Chicken salad is definitely one of my favorite options for lunch or a summertime dinner. I don’t make it very often, although I’m not sure why. I think it’s because I tend to earmark my chicken for other meals.

But after eating this delicious chicken salad for dinner last night and again for lunch today, I’ve decided that I really need to plan for chicken salad on a more frequent rotation. The kids really enjoy it too, although they tend to eat theirs with a fork or with crackers instead of sandwich form. My husband and I tend to fight over who gets the last sandwich!

The combination of flavors in this Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad was outstanding. It tasted so fresh and light. The pecans gave it a great crunch and the cherries were definitely an interesting textural and taste addition.

Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, fully cooked and diced or shredded
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced
1 c. mayonnaise
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. freshly grated lemon zest, optional
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 c. pecan pieces
1/2 c. pitted and sliced fresh cherries

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, green onions, parsley, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest (if using) and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

2. Meanwhile, place pecans in a dry skillet and toast over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Cool.

3. Using a paper towel or cheese cloth, gently pat the cherries to absorb any liquid. This is important as it will keep your whole salad from becoming pink.

4. Fold cooled pecans and cherries into the chicken salad. Refrigerate until serving.

The 6 of us ate this for dinner with enough leftovers for 2 additional sandwiches. But, the kids had definite kid-sized portions. I bet you’d get about 4-6 adult sized sandwiches out of this mix. And don’t throw away any leftovers you may have – they are too good!

Do you LOVE chicken salad too? What is your favorite way to eat it?

This post is being linked to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace.

I love chicken salad, but I haven’t always. Up until a few years ago, I avoided it at all costs. The main reason being that I do not like raw onions. Then I saw our local gourmet market carried onion-free chicken salad. I thought it was worth a shot. I fell in love instantly.

Since that time, I’ve had fun playing around with chicken salad and making it all kinds of different ways. I’ll be making chicken salad all throughout the summer. It’s such a great and easy lunch to be enjoyed with all the fabulous summer fruits and veggies. Plus, our whole family loves it too.