My grandma made this chicken salad last summer for my
sister’s wedding shower, and I asked for the recipe but then failed to ever
make it. Instead I fell in love with
another chicken salad, which I’ve made several times now. I
actually finally remembered to give this one a try when I picked up some orange
preserves for this
chickpea mango spinach salad and wondered how I’d use the rest of the jar. Peanut
butter and orange preserves just doesn’t have the same ring that peanut butter
and jelly has, am I right?
When mixed with white balsamic vinegar, cilantro, and
jalapeño, the orange preserves make a tangy base for a mixture of chicken and a
variety of fruits. Much like my favorite chicken salad, this one includes
grapes and pecans, but also mandarin oranges and pineapple! I’d recommend using
fresh pineapple if you can find it, but I made this last minute and couldn’t
find a ripe one (the canned stuff was still fine in a pinch).
This chicken salad isn’t as well suited for sandwiches as a
mayo-based chicken salad, so serve it atop greens with a side of crackers and
you’ve got yourself a complete meal!
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Mixed Fruit Chicken Salad
from Southern Living, May 2012
Ingredients:
-1/4 cup chopped pecans
-4 cups chopped, cooked chicken breasts
-2 cups seedless red and green grapes, halved
-2 celery ribs, chopped
-1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
-1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/2 cup orange marmalade
-1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
-1 medium-sized jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
-2 tbsp olive oil
-mixed greens, for serving, if desired
Directions:
1. To make the vinaigrette, stir together the marmalade, white balsamic vinegar, jalapeno, cilantro, and olive oil. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan until toasted and fragrant (6-7 minutes), stirring halfway through.
3. Toss together the chicken, grapes, celery, mandarin oranges, pineapple, and salt. Stir in the vinaigrette, tossing to coat. Serve on mixed greens, sprinkled with pecans.
