Chicken & Fruit Salad

Oooooh, chicken salad.  I've eaten this more times than I can count, and every time I think, "I should make this more often!"  This recipe was courtesy of Ginger, a patient of mine.  She started selling Pampered Chef for a bit, and I had a party for her.  This was one of the recipes she suggested; apparently it's an old Pampered Chef recipe that is sort of passed from consultant to consultant because it's so tasty! (It also highlights several of their products; a chopper and an apple corer/slicer make this recipe a whole lot easier).

Even though the ingredients sound really odd together, I've had requests for the recipe every time I've taken this dish anywhere, which has been often because it's a great potluck recipe. Arby's even had a similar sandwich recently- theirs was on bread, although this would also be great in a tortilla, in a bread bowl, served with crackers, or- as I eat it- just with a fork!  Thankfully there are leftovers in my fridge because now I'm really craving this, and I may just go have a bite or two.

I've always added more pecans when I make this; can you add too many nuts to recipes?  When I made this yesterday, I used the KitchenAid trick to shred the chicken- not the best choice for this recipe; it really should be chopped, not shredded.  Although it still tasted delish, it just didn't seem to me to have the right texture.  Personal preference, I suppose. 


Chicken & Fruit Salad

1&1/2 lbs cooked, cubed chicken breast
4 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1&1/2C mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1&1/2C red seedless grapes, cut in half
1/2C pecans, chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
2t dill weed
1 small wedge Parmesan, grated

Combine all ingredients, and refrigerate several hours before serving