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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Cranberry-Orange Chicken Salad


So I have soooo many recipes I have experimented with lately that I have been meaning to post, and just haven't done it. Then the new challenge came. I'll be honest, my lunch everyday is leftovers of something I've cooked during the week. I pre-plan my weekly menu, well in our house we alternate cooking and I usually cook 3-4 nights a week. Conveniently the item I prepared tonight strikes me as being a perfect lunch item as well. I will give you the recipe as it appears in the cookbook and I'll mention my changes throughout the instructions in italics.

Cranberry-Orange Chicken Salad
(from Our Best Bites Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 lb (about 2 cups) chopped chicken (I used turkey breast)
1 c celery, chopped
1/3 c chopped green onions (5-6 onions)
Zest of 1 medium orange (about 1T) (I also squeezed the juice - why waste it)
1/2 c craisins (I chopped mine up)
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 t coarse grain mustard (I had it out on the counter, but totally forgot to add it. It was good without it, so maybe this is an optional item?)
2 T cranberry sauce (I used the kind with the whole cranberries in it. I also used 6 T)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t fresh ground pepper (I used fresh ground salt and pepper)
1/2 c chopped pecans, toasted (I didn't toast mine)
Croissants, rolls or pita pockets (I used whole wheat pitas)
Lettuce leaves (I used spinach, I prefer it to lettuce on my sandwiches)

Instructions:
In a bowl, combine chicken (or turkey), celery, green onions, orange zest (and juice), and craisins.
In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard (optional), cranberry sauce, salt and pepper. Add to the chicken mixture and toss to fully combine. This salad is best refrigerated for several hours before serving.
Just before serving, add the toasted pecans. Serve on a croissant or roll with a lettuce leaf.
(I put all the ingredients in a bowl except the mayo and mix them all together. Then I add the mayo - I didn't use as much as recommended. I just used what was needed to give it a good consistency - and that is how you live longer - don't use a lot of mayo.)

Enjoy!

(p.s. I hope you don't mind if I still post all my other recipes during this challenge.)

5 comments:

Gina said...

Yum. And no, I totally don't mind other posts during any challenge. The more the merrier is what I say!

Kira said...

This was good Caprene. I stuck to the 2T cranberry and added the full 1/2 cup mayo but did light mayo. I worry more about sugar then fat I guess :) Thanks!

Valerie said...

This looks really good. I've only seen the cover of the cookbook, never inside. Sure sounds like a winner!

ariel said...

yummmmmmmmmmmm. so making this.

Anonymous said...

I love simple and quick so I use two large cans of white meat chicken, zest of one orange, olive oil mayo, dried cranberries and pecans. I just add each ingredient to my liking and use croissants...delicious with walnuts too.