Raspberry Chicken Salad

My Granny Wink always reuses things. I got this idea from Paula Deen, the famous Southern cook. If you are packing a lunch or going on a picnic, you may simply use a strawberry crate to tuck your meal into. A few leaves line the salad, making for edible packaging. And this eco-friendly method looks pretty, too.

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Raspberry Chicken Salad

2 C Roasted chicken*
1 pint fresh raspberries
3 T red wine vinegar
2 t sugar
3 T mayonnaise
3 T olive oil
1 bulb of fennel, sliced
1/2 cup of walnuts, toasted
2 T green onions
2 T finely diced celery
Romaine lettuce, for serving
Salt & pepper, to taste

Method: Pull roasted chicken from bones. Chop finely or coarsely, whichever you prefer. Make vinaigrette using vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined. Add to chicken, along with celery, green onions, and fennel, and walnuts. Fold in raspberries gently. Serve on beds of lettuce.

A wonderful use for raspberries!


*Lately, I have been roasting meats in my Crock pot. It is such a cinch to rub them with some spices, put them in the pot, turn it on, and forget about it for a few hours. You can use a whole chicken if your pot is large enough, or pieces of chicken. I recommend using the whole chicken, otherwise you won't get all the wonderful flavors from the bones and the skin. After it is cooked, you can drain the excess fat and discard the skin and bones.

To enhance the flavors in this recipe, rub your chicken with freshly crushed peppercorns, cardamom, and finely diced shallots. Then rub with salt, and it is ready to roast.