Eckert’s Strawberry Chicken Salad

I have been baking all kinds of delicious strawberry sweets this week but I still can’t get enough of these spring jewels! So I decided it was time to incorporate berries into my lunch by making Eckert’s Strawberry Chicken Salad. We showcased this recipe in a recent Lunch and Learn class in our Cooking Classroom. It was love at first bite for our classroom guests! The sauce for the chicken salad adds a hit of sweetness, cayenne gives it a gentle kick and the fresh fruit makes it downright irresistible.

To save on prep time, I like to use already cooked chicken from our deli department and simply cube it. The amounts of the salad ingredients hardly need to be measured. Feel free to adjust them to your preference of fruit verses chicken. I like to serve this salad with Eckert’s fresh baked bread or on a bed of spring greens for those who prefer a low carb lunch.
If you are looking for a new way to enjoy fresh picked Eckert’s strawberries, give this recipe a try!

Eat well this spring,

Angie

Ingredients

• 3 cups Eckert’s stemmed sliced strawberries (clean and slice just before serving)
• 3 cups medium diced cooked deli chicken
• 2 to 3 stalks finely chopped celery
• 1 stem with leaves finely chopped lovage (perennial herb) or 1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
• 2 to 3 sprigs chopped mint leaves
• 2 Eckert’s spring onions (or green onion tops), chopped
• 2 cups seedless grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup regular mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup plain regular or Greek yogurt or dairy sour cream
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Dash of dried cayenne pepper, optional
• 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds or chopped pecans, optional
• 1 to 2 Tbs. brown sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 to 3 tablespoons)
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 4 to 5 slices Eckert’s Irish Soda or Hummingbird Bread*

Instructions

1. In a large bowl place chicken, celery, lovage, mint, onions, and grapes. Gently stir. Set aside. In small bowl, mix mayonnaise, yogurt, cream, cayenne pepper, brown sugar and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to set 10 to 15 minutes to blend flavors. Taste and adjust seasonings.
2. Add dressing to the chicken mixture. Gently stir. Recipe can be covered and refrigerated for 48 hours before serving. Fold in sliced strawberries when ready to serve. Serve chicken salad with bread slices. Garnish with whole strawberries cut in half.
3. *Recipe is for an open-faced sandwich. Add another slice of bread if desired.
4. Makes 4 to 5 servings