Chicken and Apple Salad

I found this recipe, another great budgetbytes find.

I had all of the ingredients and Andy loves chicken salad, so I decided to give it a try. I liked it quite a bit and even Andy, my hardest critic when it comes to cooking, said it was pretty good. I think served on a croissant or other really good bread would make it over-the-top good. Andy also enjoys crispy bacon with his chicken salad. I didn't do that tonight, but this recipe makes a whole lot, so I'll fry up some bacon tomorrow to go with this for later.

What I liked the best about this recipe was the apples. I am not a huge fan of celery and this recipe doesn't have any. Excellent! I think the apples in place of celery gave it a great crunch and flavor. I used granny smith apples, which I know are really tart, but in this recipe the tartness is really toned down by the dressing and other ingredients.

One more thing. Raw onions have a really strong flavor. I like the flavor, but it's a bit much. I think green onions would give it a more subtle onion taste compared to red.

Here's the recipe:

Chicken and Apple Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 large chicken breast halves

2 small (3/4 lb.) apples

1/2 medium red onion

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

1/3 cup plain yogurt (I didn't have this, so I used mayo in its place. Yogurt would be healthier.)

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

to taste salt and pepper

STEP 1: Cook the chicken breast in a countertop grill, skillet, or oven. Whatever method is easiest for you. My George Foreman grill cooks a chicken breast in about seven minutes, so I did that. Allow the chicken to cool.

STEP 2: Wash and dice the apples and onion into small pieces while the chicken is cooling.

STEP 3: Dice the chicken and place it in a bowl along with the diced apples, onions, and dried cranberries.

STEP 4: In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, dijon, and red wine vinegar. Add a healthy dose of freshly cracked black pepper and a dash of salt. Stir, taste, and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Stir the dressing into the bowl of chopped goodies and serve!