Field Greens Chicken Salad with Candied Pecans

Field greens chicken salad is a delicious and healthy salad, topped with tender chicken breast, blue cheese, and candied pecans.

I think that there are guy salads and girl salads. In my house, I’m the only one who likes “weeds”, as my husband refers to field greens. I’m out numbered 3 to 1, with everyone else sitting on the romaine side of the salad bar.

Cobb, Chef, Caesar and some kind of a Southwestern/Taco/Chipotle Steak salad – those are definitely manly salads.

But this field greens chicken salad is one of my favorites.

It is one that I serve when I’m hosting a shower, or some other luncheon event to a big group of ladies. Oops! I guess this is not a very politically correct post. I hope I haven’t offended any men, because you certainly can eat this salad. Because real men eat quiche and field greens chicken salads!
Pasadena residents will recognize this salad, since it comes from a local restaurant, but I think every town has a version similar to it. You can buy their bottled salad dressing, but I’ve found that Brianna’s Poppy Seed is a pretty reasonable facsimile, for about 1/2 the price. It can be found in grocery stores all over the U.S.

The restaurant and local grocery stores sell candied pecans for a ridiculous sum of money, too. They are so easy to make at home, for about 1/3 of the price.

This field greens chicken salad is one of our favorite summer time salads.

Field Greens with Chicken, Blue Cheese and Candied Pecans

Cynthia

5 from 1 vote

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Course Salad

Cuisine Entree

Servings 0

Ingredients

  

• Field Greens with Chicken Blue Cheese and Candied Pecans
• 2 chicken breasts poached or grilled, shredded or diced
• 1 bag of field greens
• 2 green onions sliced
• 1 avocado diced
• l Granny Smith apple diced (I've also substituted pear in the fall)
• 1 small can of mandarin oranges
• 1/4 cup blue or gorgonzola cheese
• 1 handful of candied pecans*
• handful of Craisins
• Toss with poppy seed dressing

Instructions

 

• When I'm making this for a big group, I prep by cutting up the apples and avocado and squeezing a little lemon juice and leaving them in the same prep bowl with the mandarin oranges to prevent them from browning.
• Serves about 4 as a main dish
• *To candy the pecans, put about 3/4 cup pecans in a small saute pan, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and move the pan constantly over a medium low heat until the sugar starts to turn golden. Stir so that they are evenly coated with the sugar. Dump the nuts on a cookie sheet to cool. Chop or break them up when they are cool. CAUTION NOTE: hot sugar and hot nuts are, well, hot! Don't leave them for a moment, because they can go from golden to burnt in just a few seconds!

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If you want to try a few more girl-friendly or man-friendly chicken salad recipes, be sure to try these:

Tomato Balsamic Mint Salad {Whole30, Paleo, Vegan}

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

Cold Sesame Noodles Chicken Salad