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Here’s a different chicken salad that’s chock full of fruit.
Fancy Chicken Salad
This chicken salad is extra special! And done up on croissants or mini croissants, it’s perfect for brunches and buffets in any season.
The best thing about this salad is–at least to me–the surprising ingredients. When I make chicken salad, I’ve got the standard onion, celery and mayonnaise trifecta. That’s pretty standard and delicious by itself. However, when I saw this recipe on a local supermarket’s website, I wasn’t even sure I’d like it. I liked all of the ingredients, but I wasn’t sure if I’d like them all together in one salad–let alone with a savory ingredient.
Apples?
It was the apples that I was dubious about in this chicken salad.
They’re not in the actual mixture, but laid on the croissant like you’d use cheese in a ham sandwich. It looked pretty in the picture, but would it taste good. I wasn’t sure, but as my mother would always say, “You never know until you try.”
I’ve seen recipes for chicken cooked with grapes so that wasn’t outlandish to me. I also cook with a lot of white wine and I’m a huge consumer of chicken so I guess you could say I cook chicken with white grapes all the time.
I was delighted to find that the apple slices added a brightness to the flavor of the salad. It gave it a sweet crunchiness. I used a red delicious apple for this because the original recipe called for a red-skinned apple probably for a pop of color. But a granny smith would be a good choice too if you’re going for taste more than interesting color.
Party Perfect
If you are hosting an informal party that includes a buffet, put a big bowl of this chicken salad out with a few dozen mini croissants so your guests can help themselves.
This would also an interesting addition to a Super Bowl party if you do them. It’s pretty different from the usual items put out for such affairs and would be a great choice for your guests who want to eat a bit healthier.
The Recipe
Fruity Chicken Salad Croissants
Ingredients
- 10 oz cubed cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup green grapes cut in half
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 red-skinned apple cut into 12 thin slices
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 cup water
- 6 large croissants OR 12 mini croissants
- lettuce leaves amount is to your taste
Instructions
- Mix water and lemon juice in a bowl. Add the apple slices (this prevents them going brown); set aside.
- In another bowl,combine the chicken, grapes, almonds, celery, yogurt, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.
- Slice croissants lengthwise, but not all the way through.
- Lay lettuce leaves in each croissant. Remove apple slices and pat dry. Place 2 (if using large croissants) apple slices on each croissant with red side facing outward.
- Divide chicken salad equally to each roll, Secure with a toothpick.
Angelina says
Hi Judith, & Happy Holidays to you & your loved ones! I LOVE your “Chicken Salad Sandwich” recipe, especially since I make Chicken Salad Sandwiches quite often. I belong to several organizations, and they always insist that I make mine when we’re having an ‘event’. I use regular size croissants, since I consider them to be one serving. I purchase ’em fresh from my local bakery. For the chicken, I like to use half white meat & half dark meat. This combo makes the salad much more flavorful & moist. The only lettuce I use for sandwiches is “Boston Lettuce” (aka Butter Lettuce). A “Gala” apple is my choice for this salad, but a “Honey Crisp” apple would also do very nicely. I never added sliced almonds, b/c some folks have nut allergies. I do however, add some nuts when making this salad at home for my family. P.S. This is also very tasty if made with seedless purple grapes.
Judith Hanneman says
My favorite lettuce is butter lettuce too, but for this I used romaine–that was before people were dying from it, so I’ll probably go back and edit it to recommend the butter lettuce. This is the first time I ever tried this with any fruit added and I really REALLY liked it. And as you say, it’s perfect for an organizations “events.” Have a happy New Year!