I am very excited about the new monthly blogging group The Salad Bar! On the second Saturday of every month we will be posting a themed salad. This month’s theme was berries, and I had so much fun making this Blueberry Walnut Chicken Salad. It was fabulous tasting and beautiful!
I chose to use endive for the lettuce in this recipe, but if you prefer different greens, then definitely use your favorite. Endive is one of our favorites for any salad. It is topped with blueberries, candied walnuts, walnut-Parmesan crusted chicken, and dressed with blueberry vinaigrette. I realize it might sound kind of involved, but it really didn’t take long at all to put together. I did the nuts first, then got the chicken in the oven, and while the chicken was baking, got the greens, blueberries, and vinaigrette ready. The nuts the are a recipe I slightly adapted from Simply Recipes. My husband and I ate it all, so I put the servings as two, but you could probably serve three. We ate a lot – too much! It was definitely worth it! Hope you stop by every month for The Salad Bar post!
Blueberry Walnut Chicken Salad for #TheSaladBar
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 2
Ingredients
Candied Walnuts
- 1 cup walnut halves or large pieces, divided
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
- sea salt for sprinkling
Walnut Parmesan Chicken
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
Blueberry Vinaigrette
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsps. sugar
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Salad
- 8 cups salad greens (I used endive.)
- 1 cup blueberries
- 3 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- Candied Walnuts
- Walnut Parmesan Chicken
- Blueberry Vinaigrette
Instructions
Candied Walnuts
- Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place 1 cup of walnuts on prepared baking sheet and bake 3 to 5 minutes being careful not to burn.
- Remove walnuts from oven and remove from baking sheet immediately, so that they will not continue to cook.
- In a medium saucepan, heat sugar and cayenne peppr over medium heat until it melts and begins to turn amber in color. Don’t stir it until about half of the sugar has melted. About the time it gets the correct color, it will begin to smoke a little.
- Remove pan from heat and quickly stir in walnuts. Stir to coat and pour back out onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Separate nuts using a fork or spoon (not your hands as it is very hot). Sprinkle with sea salt. Don’t worry if you don’t get them all separated because you can break them apart when they are cool.
- Set aside to cool.
Walnut Parmesan Chicken
- Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. It is probably still hot from the walnuts.
- Combine 3/4 cup walnuts and Parmesan cheese in a food processor fitted with a knife blade. Process until you have a fine crumb mixture.
- Dip chicken tenderloins in melted butter and then dredge in walnut/Parmesan mixture and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until cooked through and golden (about 30 to 40 minutes).
- Allow to cool slightly before adding to the salad.
Blueberry Vinaigrette
- In a food processor fitted with the knife blade, process 1 cup blueberries until pureed.
- Add vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper and process to combine.
- Through the tube in the top, while the food processor is running, add the olive oil in a slow steady stream.
- If you refrigerate this dressing, it will need to warm up a bit and be whisked back together because olive oil is solid when refrigerated.
Salad Assembly
- Divide the greens between two large plates.
- Top each with half of the blueberries, half of the cheese, half of the walnuts, and half of the chicken.
- Drizzle with blueberry vinaigrette.
- Serve immediately.
Courses Entree
Source: Candied walnuts slightly adapted from Simply Recipes.
This recipe was linked up on Foodie Friends Friday.
Beautiful colors and the chicken looks amazing! Love the dressing too 🙂
Thank you!
This is totally my kind of salad! I love the sweet with a bit of heat from the nuts! I would probably eat too much, too (if that’s really possible…)!
I did eat too much, but at least it is pretty healthy.
Beautiful salad! I wish this was my dinner tonight…but alas, we’re on the road and it probably will be delivery pizza :/
Thank you!
My mouth is completely watering looking at that salad!!!
Love this…the nut crusted chicken is gorgeous! Can’t wait to try this!!!
Thank you!
My husband adores blueberries and I’ve just read another recipe for blueberry vinaigrette. I think I must try it for him!! The candied walnuts?? Those would be for me!!! 🙂
I have to say that I had a really hard time not eating all the walnuts up before I got the salad finished. Yum.
Walnut Parmesan Chicken? Yum! This sounds like an amazing combination of flavors.
It was really good – much better than battered and fried.
Totally in love with this salad. All my favorite things 🙂
Thank you!
Michele: This salad is over the top is deliciousness. A keeper for sure.
Thank you. We will definitely be eating more of it.
Sweet, hot, chickeny, berrylicious….that’s dinner!
Thank you!
Love the blueberry vinaigrette with this, and I’m a big fan of endive too! I went to where they’re grown a couple years ago, and it was fascinating!
I bet that would be fascinating! My husband grew up eating endive because his German mother preferred it, and he has definitely won me over.
This would be a favorite for me, the parmesan chicken, the cayenne, the walnuts. Great combination of textures and flavors.
I love all the components here. Pecan parmesan chicken and blueberry vinaigrette sound incredible!
I love the look of this salad. I think I could eat the candied walnuts on their own! That little bit of pepper is delicious sounding! The Walnut Parmesan chicken sounds pretty darn good too!
That vinaigrette looks amazing!
Blueberry and chicken go great together! Thanks for sharing at Foodie Friends Friday.