As we rolled into Week #4 of Whip It Up, I decided to step up and do 2 recipes this week since I’ll be missing another week for vacation. Since I had a coupon for croissants at Target, I decided to try and make chicken salad. I have never eaten much chicken salad. I tend to stay away from things prepared with mayonnaise, unless I’ve prepared them.  However, there are situations that force you into eating things you may not care for – such as showers!  And I must say I’ve had some good chicken salad at bridal showers!

So I started with this recipe and made some minor adjustments. The biggest being that I substituted dried cranberries for the green grapes!  The rest, truly are minor changes!

Was the recipe easy to follow?

Yes, it was very easy to follow. I didn’t know if I was going to make it last night for dinner or this afternoon for lunch. But I did all the prep work (cook chicken, chop celery, and cut up the cheese) yesterday early afternoon, so it was really easy when we decided we were hungry for lunch today!  Besides substituting dried cranberries in the recipe, I chopped up the celery real fine, because it’s not my favorite. I also didn’t have any block or shredded cheese, so I cut up some cheese (co-jack) slices. I also thought plain salt and pepper was boring, so I used lemon pepper.

Did the dish taste good?

YES! I put it on a crossiant with some spinach leaves. But it’d be good on just a bed of lettuce or another type of roll or bread too! The cranberries add a little sweetness and the sunflower seeds add an extra salty little crunch! YUM!  It had just the right amount of mayo. Not drippy, runny like so many chicken salads I’ve seen (not eaten, but seen!)  But the cheese also keeps the texture from feeling too dry.

Would you make it again?

Yes, because it was so easy and so great! Plus with the croissants it’s a nice elegant sandwich to serve for get togethers with the girls or family! And I originally was planning on using shredded cheese, but I love the consistency of the cut up sliced cheese – the cheese flavor is more distinct throughout the sandwich, but probably not as overwhelming as cubed cheese might be.

Sunflower Chicken Salad

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast meat
1 cup Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3/4 tsp lemon pepper (or to taste)

In a large bowl combine the chicken, cheese, sunflower seeds, celery, cranberries, mayonnaise and lemon pepper to taste. Mix all together and serve on croissants, rolls or lettuce leaves, if desired.