Chicken, Pear and Smoked Gouda Salad is the ultimate salad lover's recipe! Greens, chicken, fresh pears, smoky cheese and crunchy cashews in one salad, topped with a fresh and simple salad dressing. Perfect for wedding or baby showers, family reunions or holidays.
Ingredients
2red pears (or apples), washed, cored and thinly sliced or cut into chunks, I like to leave on the skins for color
2tablespoonsfresh lemon juice
18-10 oz. package baby spinach and spring greens mix
3cupschopped, cooked chicken breast
1 1/2cupsthin sliced celery
1/4-1/2cupred onion, sliced thin
1 1/2cupssweetened dried cranberries
2cups6-8 oz shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1 1/2cupssalted cashews or pecans
Honey-Mustard Dressing:
1/4cupmayonnaise, regular or light
1/4cupolive oil
1/3cupcider vinegar
1/4cupchopped green onions or scallions
1teaspoonDijon mustard
3-4tablespoonshoney
1/2teaspoonground red pepper, optional
1teaspooncoarse ground pepper
1/2teaspoon coarse sea salt
Instructions
For Dressing:
Whisk together all dressing ingredients, or use immersion blender, and blend until combined. Store in fridge until ready to serve.
For Salad:
Toss pear slices with lemon juice and a couple tablespoons of salad dressing, set aside in fridge in a ziplock bag or a small bowl.
Place lettuce in a bowl or on a serving platter. Layer all other salad ingredients on top of lettuce (except cheese and nuts). Refrigerate until ready to serve. This may be refrigerated for 2-3 hours before serving, if storing longer than this amount of time, follow directions on recipe notes for make ahead. Always place cheese and nut on top layer.
Notes
-One small Rotisserie chicken may be subbed for the 3 cups cooked chicken.-Toss salad with a portion of the dressing just before serving and then serve extra dressing on the side. You may also layer salads on individual plates or on a large platter (my preference) and drizzle with dressing.-This salad may be made to your liking by substituting apples for pears, or switching the cashews for almonds, pecans, or pistachios. -Dressing may be made with green onions (scallions) or fresh basil. -Light mayo may be used in place of the regular mayo. white balsamic may be used in the place of cider vinegar.