Contest Winning Summer Chicken Salad Food

CONTEST-WINNING STRAWBERRY CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Place salad greens in a large shallow bowl. In rows, arrange the onion, pineapple, chicken, tomatoes, cucumber and strawberries. Sprinkle with blue cheese. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

CONTEST-WINNING SUMMER CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large skillet; add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°. Drain; cover and refrigerate. In a large bowl, combine greens and sliced strawberries; refrigerate., In a blender, combine the hulled strawberries, orange juice, oil, lemon juice and lemon zest, sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cover and process until smooth. Pour into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5-6 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool slightly. , Drizzle half of the dressing over greens and berries; toss to coat. Divide among four plates. Cut chicken into 1/8-in. slices; arrange over salads. Drizzle remaining dressing over chicken; sprinkle with nuts.

CONTEST-WINNING HOT CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place chicken in a Dutch oven and cover with water; add bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken and cut into 1/2-in. cubes; place in a large bowl. Stir in the next 11 ingredients. , Transfer to a 13x9-in. baking dish (dish will be full). Sprinkle with cheese and french-fried onions. Bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 30 minutes. Garnish with green onions, if desired.

CRUNCHY NOODLE SALAD *AWARD WINNING*

Steps:

• Place sesame and almonds on a microwave safe plate and cook until browned. About 1 minute-Watch carefully! Allow to cool.
• Mix cabbage, sesame and almonds together in a large bowl.
• Dressing: Mix the spice packets from the noodles with the green onions, oil, vinegar and sugar. Shake or stir until well blended.
• Refrigerate separately until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve:.
• Break RAW ramen noodles into small pieces and mix into cabbage mixture. DO NOT COOK NOODLES!
• Pour dressing over cabbage and noodles and mix well.
• NOTE: Can be made a meal by adding some cooked shredded chicken or thawed frozen salad shrimp. Experiment!
• Toasting the seeds and nuts brings out the flavor- You can also add the RAW noodles to the toasting step for more added flavor.

SPRING CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a small pot and cover with water. Season with salt, cover and boil until fork-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and cool.
• Meanwhile, pulse the chives, tarragon, vinegar, yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and pulse to make a thick dressing.
• Toss the romaine, potatoes, chicken, cucumber, radishes and bell pepper with the dressing in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Toss together the chicken, celery, scallions, dill and parsley in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add to the chicken and mix gently until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Put the parsley, thyme, onion, carrot, celery, and chicken breasts in a medium saucepan. Cover with the broth, and bring just to a boil. Lower the heat to very low and cover. Poach the chicken until firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, uncover and cool the chicken in the liquid for 30 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and reserve the liquid. Bone and skin the chicken and roughly chop the meat into about 1-inch pieces. Discard the bones and skin.
• Strain the broth and store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for later use. Remove any fat from the surface of the broth before using.

SUMMER CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• For the salad: Put the chicken breasts into a large plastic storage bag. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten to 1/4-inch uniform thickness. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
• Heat a grill and drizzle with the olive oil. Grill the chicken on both sides until done, about 7 minutes per side. (Rotate halfway during grilling each side to ensure pretty grill marks.) Set aside to cool.
• Grill the corn for a few minutes, until still crunchy but colored. With a very sharp knife, shave the kernels off each corn cob. Combine with the dill, celery and onions in a large bowl. Set aside.
• For the dressing: Mix together the feta, half-and-half, mayonnaise and sour cream in a bowl. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Stir, and then taste. Add more salt if necessary; do not undersalt!
• Slice the chicken on the bias to create flat, randomly shaped pieces. Throw into the bowl with the celery, onions and corn. Stir to combine. Pour half of the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently. Add more as desired, but don't overcoat the salad; it should be light! At the end, toss in the blueberries to lightly coat them in the dressing.
• Spoon the salad into butter lettuce cups and then sprinkle individual helpings with feta and extra dill.

CHICKEN SALAD SPREAD

Steps:

• Combine the chicken meat, celery, mayonnaise, onion powder and sweet pickles.

GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD WITH BLUEBERRY VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Toss chicken with oil, garlic, salt and pepper; refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together vinaigrette ingredients; refrigerate, covered, until serving.
• Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat until a thermometer reads 165°, 5-7 minutes per side. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
• Place greens on a serving plate; top with chicken, blueberries and mandarin oranges. Whisk vinaigrette again; drizzle over salad. Top with cheese.