Fall in love with chicken salad
A couple of weeks ago, we urged you to make a big batch of poached chicken and freeze some for later. Well, later is now, so take the chicken out, put it in the refrigerator a day ahead to defrost, and then you can snap today's salad into submission in 15 minutes flat. (Don't worry if you missed the instructions for poaching chicken. They're posted on our website, KitchenScoop.com.)
Fall Chicken Salad with Apples and Tomatoes first appeared in our “Desperation Entertaining!["] cookbook (2002 Workman) and we naturally think of it when the new crop of apples bombards us every autumn. But the truth is, it's a beautiful, bountiful salad that's terrific any time of year.
Our Ginger Chutney Dressing makes an exotic addition, and it takes only 5 minutes to make. The payoff is that you'll have enough left over for several salads.
The signature ingredient in the dressing is mango chutney, usually found with the ethnic or imported foods in your grocery. It's available in hot or mild varieties, and either one will work. One jar of the chutney is enough to make two batches of the dressing, and it's so tasty you definitely won't mind whipping up another batch. But if you're especially desperate and don't want to make your own dressing, just drizzle on bottled poppyseed dressing, French or Russian dressing, or any other dressing that's slightly sweet.
For another great recipe using poached chicken, visit KitchenScoop.com for our Old-Fashioned Southern Chicken Salad.
Suggested menu: Fall Chicken Salad with Apples and Tomatoes with whole-wheat rolls and mugs of warm apple cider.