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Apple Almond Chicken Salad #AppleWeek

Chicken tossed with sweet apple, tangy homemade mayo and topped with slivered almonds for a nice crunch, this Apple Almond Chicken Salad will get anyone out of a lunch rut!

Disclaimer #1: Thank you to #AppleWeek Sponsors: Rodelle, Dreamfarm, Casabella, Flahavan’s Irish Oatmeal, Pryex, Chicago Cutlery, Rainier Fruit, and Veggie Wash for providing prizes for #AppleWeek free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #AppleWeek. All opinions are my own.

Disclaimer #2: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on the link and purchase, I make a very small percentage (at no additional cost to you!) which goes towards maintenance of this blog. Thanks for your support!

This post was updated in September 2017 for #AppleWeek.

Welcome to Day 2 of #Appleweek, hosted by Carlee of Cooking with Carlee. The week started off strong with my recipe for mulled cider as well as a giveaway with prize packs from our fabulous sponsors. You can head over here to read about the prize packs. Then scroll to the bottom of this post – leave a comment on this post (and any other #AppleWeek post published today) to get an extra entry. Share the giveaway via Twitter for another extra entry.

When I was little, my mom spoiled me. She worked nights, sleeping in the morning and up by lunchtime. That meant that almost every day, Mom made me a hot lunch. No sandwiches for me and my brothers. We got pierogis and potato pancakes and mini pizzas. To this day, I still prefer a hot lunch to sandwiches. I usually resort to leftovers, soups, and frozen meals.

That being said, this chicken salad is one of the more traditional lunch items that has made it into my lunch rotation. I originally made it for a pig-in at work and loved it. The apples made the salad slightly sweet, distinguishing it from other chicken salad recipes. The mayo is tangy and homemade – but don’t let that scare you. It is easy to make and can be done in minutes. But my favorites part of this chicken salad is the almonds – I loved the crunch that the nuts given to the salad. I’ve enjoyed this chicken salad for lunch several ways: straight-up, on and English muffin and toasted bread, and on a green salad. However you choose to serve it, it won’t disappoint.

Apple Almond Chicken Salad

Adapted from The Pastry Queen p. 158-159

Yields enough for 4-6 sandwiches or salads

Ingredients for the Mayo:

Makes 1 1/2 cups of mayo

2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/3 c. olive oil
2/3 c. vegetable oil

Ingredients for the Chicken Salad:

12 oz. cooked, shredded (or diced) chicken breasts, cooled
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
1/2 c. diced red onion
1 Tbs. minced chives
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
1/2 – 3/4 c. homemade mayo
kosher salt & pepper, to taste
1 c. slivered blanched almonds, toasted

Make the Mayo: In a food processor, combine eggs, yolk, salt, pepper, mustard, and lemon juice. With the mixer still running, pour oil into the plunger in the feed tube, so that oil gets added slowly and consistently. Mixture should be ready just after oil is done, or a minute after. It will be thick, but but yet mayo consistency. That came after refrigerating mayo for a couple of hours.

Store mayo in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Make the Chicken Salad: In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken, apple, onion, chives and parsley. Add just enough mayo to bind the salad, 1/2 – 3/4 c. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate until serving. Add almonds just before serving so that they don’t lose their crunch.

Serve on a roll, bread, English muffin (my favorite), croissant or salad, as desired.

Enter to win one of our awesome #AppleWeek prizes here:a Rafflecopter giveaway

And finally, more drool-worthy apple recipes to celebrate #AppleWeek

Apple Almond Butter Manchego Grilled Cheese from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Apple Almond Chicken Salad from Books n’ Cooks
Apple Bacon Jam from Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids
Apple Cinnamon Rolls from Sew You Think You Can Cook
Apple Fritter Pie from Dad What’s 4 Dinner
Apple Nachos from Simple and Savory
Apple Pecan Chicken Salad from The Chef Next Door
Apple Turnovers from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Applesauce Cake with Soft Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting from Cooking With Carlee
Autumn Apple Sipper from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Bavarian Apple Oatmeal Streusel Cheesecake from All That’s Jas
Caramel Apple Cupcakes from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
Grilled Apple Tossed Salad from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Mini Apple Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel Topping from Family Around the Table
Nutmeg Apple Conserve from Feeding Big
Red Cabbage with Apple from Palatable Pastime
Roasted Apple and White Cheddar Soup from 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
Sauerkraut & Sausage with Apples from House of Nash Eats

Disclaimer: Thank you to #AppleWeek Sponsors: Rodelle, Dreamfarm, Casabella, Flahavan’s Irish Oatmeal, Pryex, Chicago Cutlery, Rainier Fruit, and Veggie Wash for providing prizes for #AppleWeek free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #AppleWeek. All opinions are my own.

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Chicken Cobb Pizza

Did you ever have a meal at a friend’s house, and instantly, the meal became one of your favorites? It’s that dish you immediately try to work into your weekly menu, and immediately start nagging your friend for the recipe… For me, this Chicken Cobb Pizza went straight into the favorites list, from the moment I tried it at K’s house. I’ve made it a couple of times since then, and have begged K to make it when we get together (including for “lunch” at 9am, 10 miles into our Sunday morning walks).

This pizza is pretty healthy in general (the original Pampered Chef recipe, using 1-10 oz. can chicken, says that two squares of this pizza is only 300 calories), but can be made even better for you with reduced-fat versions of the ingredients and even more veggies.

Thanks to K for sharing this great recipe!

Chicken Cobb Pizza

Adapted from Pampered Chef’s Clubhouse Chicken Squares

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2-8 oz. pkg. crescent rolls
1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbs. mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tsp. Pampered Chef All-Purpose Dill Mix or dried dill)
1 1/2 c. cooked chicken, chopped/diced
1/2 small cucumber, seeded and chopped/diced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon or turkey bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled

Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 375F.

Unroll one of package of crescent rolls on a baking sheet, with the longest sides of the dough running the length of the pan. With your fingers, seal in the perforations. Press the sides to form a crust.Repeat on a second baking sheet with the second roll of crescent rolls.

Back 12-15 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.

Make the “Sauce”: In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, mayo, garlic and dill. If the cream cheese isn’t soft enough to mix thoroughly, throw in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Assemble the Pizza: When the crust is cooled, spread the dill mixture on top of each crust. Layer chicken, bacon, veggies, and cheese.

Note for preparing in advance: The “sauce” can be made in advance. If it sits overnight, it will be come very garlicky. Also, if put together far in advance, the shredded cheese tends to dry out. Sprinkle cheese on pizza as close to serving as possible.

Herb Grilled Chicken & Shrimp

Last week was crazy, but I still got a few precious minutes of tv time. And how did I fill it? Food Network, of course!

I was watching Giada de Laurentiis do a picnic menu, and thought her Chicken and Shrimp with Pancetta Chimichurri sounded like a great recipe for the grill this weekend. I prepped the chicken and shrimp, and got started on the chimichurri early in the day, and went to taste the chimichurri to make sure it was good. Not such a fan. I found it very acidic. To salvage the chimichurri, I decided to use it as a marinade instead of as a post-grill sauce. This ended up working out great – the chicken and shrimp were flavorful and moist (definitely use fresh herbs for this marinade and not dried herbs).

Serving Suggestion: I would recommend serving this with a flavorful tomato or fruit salsa.

Herb Grilled Chicken & Shrimp Marinade

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

Yields enough marinade for 2 lb. shrimp and 2 lb. chicken

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. fresh parsley leaves
1/2 c. fresh oregano leaves
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 c. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. lemon juice
kosher salt (to taste)
ground black pepper (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, pulsing until smooth.

Marinate chicken and/or shrimp for 2+ hours before grilling.

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry

Another non-dessert post! Don’t get me wrong, I do plenty of cooking – almost every night. However, usually I don’t think the dish is unique enough to blog about, or just don’t think about snapping a photo before we eat. Also, I cook like my mom – I throw a whole bunch of spices or veggies together without measuring much, and that doesn’t make for a great recipe.

This Thai Chicken Stir-Fry was a new recipe for us, from my favorite cooking magazine, Fine Cooking. As usual, it was another hit – easy and quick but full of flavor compliments of the fresh basil. I enjoyed the slight spiciness of the herb, which I don’t normally notice in pastas or salad caprese. This stir-fry did make me happy that I planted basil again this year.

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry

Adapted from Fine Cooking No. 98

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. vegetable oil
4 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. chicken breast cutlets (about 1/4 inch thick), cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. packed light brown sugar
1 c. lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut roughly into 1/2 inch strips
Peanuts

Heat the oil in a well-seasoned wok or a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots start to soften but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until it’s no longer pink and the shallots are beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the lime juice, sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is just cooked through and the liquid reduces to a saucy consistency, 2 to 3 minutes. (If the sauce reduces before the chicken is cooked through, add water, 1 Tbs. at a time.) Remove from the heat, add the basil, and stir to wilt it.

Caesar Club Sandwich

I was very excited when I saw that Karen of Shortbread chose Ina Garten’s Caesar Club Sandwich for Barefoot Bloggers this month. I have come across this recipe a couple times and have been waiting to try it. I was not disappointed. The sandwich was amazing – easy and flavorful. The dressing tasted way better than any bottled Caesar dressing does (I made mine without the anchovy paste, which I couldn’t find at my grocery store), and the sun-dried tomatoes were a surprising burst of flavor. I prepared everything ahead of time and assembled it shortly before my friends arrived. I have a feeling that my hubby will be adding this to his list of favorite dinners.

Caesar Club Sandwich

From Barefoot Contessa at Home and on Food Network

Ingredients for the Salad Dressing:

1 large garlic clove, minced
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tsp. anchovy paste
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c. mayonnaise

Ingredients for the Sandwich:

1 whole chicken breast (bone in, skin on, and split) or leftover rotisserie chicken
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 oz. thinly sliced pancetta
1 large ciabatta bread, or other bread with a slightly crunchy crust
2 oz. arugula or spinach, washed and dried
12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
2-3 oz. Parmesan, shaved (I used shredded, since that’s what we keep on hand)

Make the Chicken: Preheat the oven to 350F. Rub chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet, skin side up, and roast 35-40 minutes, until cooked through. Cook slightly. Slice meat off bone and set aside.

I used left over chicken from an rotisserie chicken I made the night before, and that worked perfectly. This is a great way to use up leftovers!

Meanwhile, prepare other ingredients:

1. Make the Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. Or, combine all ingredients in a food processor, processing until smooth.(Refrigerate if not using immediately.)

2. Place pancetta on a baking sheet and roast for 10-15 minutes, until crispy. Pat off grease with a paper towel and set aside.

3. Slice bread in half horizontally. Place on a baking sheet (cut-side up) or directly on wire oven racks. Toast for 5-7 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Assemble the Sandwich

Spread Caesar dressing on both piece of bread. Then layer: arugula / spinach; sun-dried tomatoes; pancetta; chicken; shaved Parmesan (or, if using shredded, sprinkle on top half of bread, so that it will stick to the dressing). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place top on sandwich and cut into pieces. Serve at room temperature.