Autumn Apple and Curry Chicken Salad

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 an idea for a creative new take on chicken salad I couldn’t wait to try out when I got home.

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 tastes, 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 regardless of who is in your 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!