Monday, August 21, 2006

Peach Chicken Salad with Mint Vinaigrette


There was leftover grilled chicken in the house, and Dad wanted me to find a way to incorporate it into dinner.
So my plan was some form of chicken salad. But I wanted to try something new. My search led me here, to a salad that sounded perfect for summer.
Of course, being me, I didn't walk over to the fruit bowl until it was time for me to wash the fruit and dice it. It turned out that they weren't nectarines at all, so that's how the salad came to be different. From the original recipe that is.

Peach Chicken Salad with Mint Vinaigrette
Serves 5

Dressing:
1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup clear balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 cup chopped seeded cucumber
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons minced red onion
3 peaches, chopped
5 boston lettuce leaves

To make the dressing: place mint and sugar in a food processor; process until finely chopped, scraping sides of bowl. Add vinegar, juice, salt, and pepper, and process 30 seconds to combine.

To prepare salad: combine chicken, cucumber, pine nuts, onion, and peaches in a medium bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss well to coat. Place 1 lettuce leaf on each of 5 plates; top each serving with 3/4 cup salad.

Serve with toast or crackers.

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