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by Jade Buchanan
Cooking for the Kitchen Illiterate: Tales of a not-so-great Chef Happy July everyone!! I have a special surprise for you this month. I'm featuring a very cool guest cook who has graciously offered to take over -- *cough* show me up *cough* -- and give you a wonderful new recipe. |
Without further ado... here's Dawn Montgomery!!
Chicken Salad tastes OH SO GOOD!
I'm not a big fan of standard chicken salad. Creamy dressings have never been my thing, but I love a good crisp salad on a very hot day. And trust me when I tell you, it is HOT around here. So I whipped up this recipe from http://www.cookingbytheseatofmypants.com.
This serves two people!
Ingredients:
Dressing:
- 3 tsp. 100% pure Raspberry Preserves (I used Polaner All-Fruit)
- 1 tsp lime zest
- The juice of one lime
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/8 to 1/4 cup canola oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Chicken:
- 6 chicken breast tenderloins or 2 small chicken breasts, cut in 3/4 inch strips
- 1 tbsp 100% pure raspberry preserves
- The juice of one lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil (for cooking)
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, torn or cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 bunch hearts of romaine, torn or cut in bite-sized pieces (without the really thick stems,please)
- 1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco (or pepper jack, or whatever delicious light cheese you like!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Prepare the chicken:
Whisk together raspberry preserves, lime juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place chicken in a zip-top storage bag and pour in marinade. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible, making sure that all chicken pieces are well coated. Marinade in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes, but no longer than 1 hour.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding any left over. Cook chicken 4 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and brush with a little bit more of the raspberry preserves. Set aside.
Note: Chicken may be cooked up to 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but do not slice until ready to serve. If you slice it before you're ready, the chicken breast will lose all its juice. That makes it very dry!
Dressing:
Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl and check for seasoning. The dressing will be very thick. Set aside for at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to combine well and taste again, adjusting amounts as fits your tastes.
Assembly:
Add lettuce, onions, 1/2 of the cheese and 1/2 of the almonds to the dressing and toss lightly until all ingredients are well coated. Transfer to a serving plate (or plates). Top with sliced chicken, remaining almonds and a bit of cheese.
Serve warm or chilled. (I love it chilled! Put it in an airtight container for up to two days, any longer than that and the lettuce will start to wilt.)
Dawn
So there you have it... a wonderful recipe from Dawn Montgomery! I'm going to have to keep an eye on her. Looks like she's after my job!! LOL!!
Please run on over to http://www.dawnmontgomery.com/blog to see what Dawn's been up to lately. I hear she has a great release out! Rookery Cove: Ocean's Call is available now at Changeling Press and sounds absolutely yummy, just the type of thing to go down smooth with a nice Chicken Salad 
Happy reading and happy cooking everyone!
Jade