Strawberry-Basil Chicken Salad

The inspiration for the creation of this yummy salad came from a Taste of Home recipe that I found in one of my older cookbooks. The challenge was that the dressing ingredients for this recipe looked nasty, so I decided to try my favorite dressing recipe with the addition of fresh basil. The wonderful flavor of fresh basil and summer-sun-ripened strawberries is perfect for a main dish meal in the heat of summer. This recipe serves two but can easily be adapted for a larger family. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 cups torn salad greens
3/4 cup cubed cooked chicken
3/4 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 cup mandarin orange slices, drained on paper toweling
1 green onion sliced, white and green parts
1/4 cup coarsely broken pecans, lightly toasted

Strawberry Vinaigrette:

2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. water
1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil or oil of choice
1/2 cup strawberry jam
1-2 tbsp. minced fresh basil or 1-2 tsp. dried, crushed

1. Combine salad ingredients in a large serving bowl.
2. In another bowl whisk together first 6 dressing ingredients.
3. In a slow thin stream, whisk olive oil into dressing ingredients until well combined. Stir in strawberry jam and basil.
4. Add desired amount of dressing to salad, toss and serve.

Yield: 2 servings
Dressing Yield: 1 cup
Note: This salad dressing was created by the cooks at smuckers.com. For variations of the dressing see Yummy Spinach Salad posted on 2/13/2013.