Chipotle Chicken Salad with Peaches and Walnuts

We hit the MO Club (Mountain Oyster) last night for an amazing Hawaiian Luau and of all the stupidity I forgot to bring a camera so I could share the event. You'll have to be content with hearing about the salad we cooked up for Monday's night's dinner instead. 

The incredible thing about cooking your own rotisserie chicken other than the fact that it's delicious of course, is that you also know what's in it. The spices you've used and flavor you've added can be enhanced in whatever you're making from the leftovers. Take Big Guy's Chipotle bird for example. You had to know we'd pick that one first, now didn't ya!

The spicy southwestern flavors combined beautifully with cool peaches, crunchy toasted walnuts and a touch of orange juice to calm the heat and create a darn tasty salad. Of course the usual chopped celery, tangy red onion and crunchy colorful carrots helped too, never mind a creamy dressing made a tad lighter by a combination of mayonnaise and  yogurt and brightened with the addition of orange juice, and a smidgen of orange marmalade to calm the aggressive chile heat. It really did the trick and married beautifully with the peaches too.

Just remember to think outside the box next time you're whipping up a chicken salad, or any salad for that matter. Use your imagination and add dried or fresh fruit including pineapple, mango, grapes, fresh or dried apricots and even dried cranberries or sour cherries to the mix and of course your nut choices are unlimited too. 

What do ya' mean  you're not inspired yet? Hit the links for a few more unique and tasty chicken salads we've enjoyed here in JBug's Kitchen. 

 With Asparagus              Pasta and Pesto          Curry and Toasted Almonds  

Orange and Tarragon       Potatoes and Dill        Buffalo Style

Chipotle Chicken Salad with Peaches and Walnuts (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

2-1/2 cups diced leftover cooked chicken

1/2 cup finely diced raw carrot

2 ribs celery, finely diced

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used no fat Greek)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried ground Chipotle chile seasoning

1/4 cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 14 ounce can sliced peaches, drained

1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted

Combine chicken, carrot, celery, and red onion in a medium sized bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic powder, ground Chipotle chile, orange marmalade and orange juice. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Mix with chicken, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to blend flavors. Just before serving garnish with peaches and toasted walnuts. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

A year ago - Creamy Hominy Gratin

Two year's ago - Corn and Basil Cakes

Comments

[Lea]

That's it - it is official - you are the Queen of chicken salad! You amaze me with coming up with better and more innovative salads all the time - Bravo! My mouth is watering!

[June]

Lea - it's hard to go wrong with one of the Big Guy's chickens, but this one really was the best so far and it gets better with time.

[Lorraine]

What a beautiful salad and great ideas for more. I love chicken salad and certainly would love this one (especially if I had one of the Big Guys chickens to start with).

[June]

Lorraine - funny, I didn't realize how often I made chicken salad until I was gathering the links/photo's together. For sure, I never make the same one twice and they're all great because of Big Guy's talents on the BBQ.