I just had the pleasure of chaperoning my son’s kindergarten field trip to a local apple orchard. Look at those delicious red apples! I ate quite a few while walking around and they were quite tasty. While savoring the sweet Autumn flavor it gave me a creative new take on chicken salad I couldn’t wait to try out when I got home.
Apple picking, the perfect fall activity!
Fall is by far my favorite time of year and apple picking is the perfect fall activity for adults and kids alike. It isn’t really the picking for me but all the goodies I get to bake and cook when I get home. This recipe is going to be a fall must have in my house as both my kids and hubby loved it. My hubby isn’t really into savory but he devoured this salad last weekend during a fall hike. It really captures all the wonderful flavors of the fall season. It is a great option for kids lunches or served on endive at your next fall gathering. It is sure to be a crowd pleaser who ever the audience.
Ingredients
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup sliced walnuts, almonds or pecans (I used walnuts)
- 1/2 cup good mayo or nonfat plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon curry powder (I love curry and used a bit more to taste)
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1 cup freshly picked crisp apples, diced
- 1/2 cup pears or grapes sliced and diced (optional, you can double the apple if you prefer but I did add the pear:)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- the juice of one lemon
- Mixed greens or crackers for serving
Directions
- Bring the broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken to broth and simmer, covered, for 6-8 minutes. Turn the heat off and let chicken stand in the cooking liquid, covered for another 20 minutes. Remove the chicken, cool and dice into 1/4-inch dice.
- Toast the almonds, walnuts or pecans in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise (or yogurt), curry powder and lemon juice. Fold in the chicken, raisins, nuts and apples and pear (and/or grapes).
- Season with salt and pepper (And extra curry if you like it strong like I do).
- Serve with crackers or mixed greens and enjoy!
