ELEGANT CHICKEN SALAD
The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner
by Liz Edmunds
I often double this main-dish salad to serve at women's luncheons, where it is always a big hit. Cook boneless, skin- less chicken breasts in advance or save time by tearing pieces off a ready- to-eat rotisserie chicken from the deli. And after Thanksgiving, you can make this salad with leftover turkey.
Do Ahead: Plan ahead to refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours before serving, or as long as 2 days.
8 servings
Ingredients
• 1 cup uncooked medium shell pasta
• 1/2 cup bottled coleslaw dressing
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cups (about 3/4 pound) shredded cooked chicken
• 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained and diced
• 1/2 large red-skinned apple, diced (about 1 cup) (My favorite for this salad are Fuji or Cameo.)
• 1 cup green seedless grapes
• 3 celery ribs, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 tablespoon grated onion
• 1 cup whole cashews
• Salt and ground black pepper
Directions
1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Mix the coleslaw dressing and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Add to the pasta, tossing gently to combine. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, mix the chicken, pineapple, water chestnuts, apple, grapes, celery, and onion in a medium bowl. Refrigerate.
4. Just before serving, add the chicken mixture and cashews to the pasta, tossing gently until all the ingredients are combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon into a large serving bowl or spoon individual servings onto lettuce leaves on plates.
Variation: Use Honey Mustard Dressing instead of the bottled coleslaw dressing.
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