Maggie Monday: Chicken Pecan Salad

For someone who is so focused on food, I’ve never worked in a restaurant. I once spent odd weekends working a grill for a company that catered to company picnics, but that is the extent of my professional food experience. Until this post, I never knew my long time friend (and former boss) Maggie had worked as a waitress. Here’s Maggie…

When I was in graduate school at Ohio State, I moonlighted two or three jobs in addition to my studies and fellowship in order to bring in extra cash. One of those jobs was serving and cashiering at a fancy French Restaurant on Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington, an upscale neighborhood near campus. This was a fun job for a budding foodie. The restaurant made a lot of great dishes with things like quail, rabbit, etc. They were famous for a pretty amazing Crème Brule.

However my favorite dish was Turkey Pecan Salad.  The sous chef was kind enough to show me how to make it, and I’ve been making it often since 1984. I use chicken, but it is also great with Thanksgiving leftover turkey. The crunch of the pecans and grapes is so good, and I like the mix of savory and sweet.

It is so good, very easy, and always a crowd pleaser. It is even easier to make with the advent of the magical Rotisserie chicken! Big props to whomever came up with the idea to have these amazing chickens available at every decent super market. I love you.

My mom, husband, and three different friends request this often. It is great on a croissant, on a bed of lettuce, or with sourdough bread. Or just a little bowl of it all by itself. Try this one!

Chicken Pecan Salad

What you need:

1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, picked from bones, and diced

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

¾ cup salad dressing ( I use Miracle Whip)

2 cups red seedless grapes, halved (can also use dried cranberries, but I like the fresh grapes)

2 closed minced garlic

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

What you do:

Place diced chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add salad dressing and incorporate into chicken until well blended. Stir in garlic and garlic salt. Stir in grapes and pecans. Serve.