This combination of chicken, celery, apples, grapes, walnuts with blue cheese is, in my opinion, a classic main course salad! You could use cooked, cubed turkey for the salad too.
Makes 8 Servings
4 chicken breasts (6 cups) cooked, cut into ½” cubes
1 ½ cups each celery & apples, cut into ½” dice
¾ cup each chopped green onions & toasted walnuts, or pecans**
1 cup red grapes, halved
12 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
2 – 3 heads butter lettuce
1 small head radicchio or red leaf lettuce
Garnish:
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
8 sprigs of fresh dill, fronds removed from stem or fresh chives
8 small stems of red grapes
Dressing :
1 ½ cups mayonnaise (light would be fine)
1 ½ Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl; season to taste with salt & pepper.
Assemble the Salad:
Combine the chicken, celery, apples & grapes. Gently fold in the dressing to combine; season with salt & pepper to taste. Place leaves of butter lettuce & radicchio or red leaf lettuce on 8 dinner plates. Divide the chicken mixture evenly between the plates; top with blue cheese; garnish with toasted walnuts, parsley, dill fronds or chives & grapes.
**To see how to toast the nuts, please go to Toasting Nuts.