Warm Chicken, Pear, and Blue Cheese Salad with Pear Vinaigrette | Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Warm Chicken, Pear, and Blue Cheese Salad with Pear Vinaigrette

Warm Chicken, Pear, and Blue Cheese Salad with Pear Vinaigrette | Renee's Kitchen Adventures:  Sweet, salty warm and delicious!

I'm not much of a salad in the winter type of girl.  Eating something that is cold in the winter just doesn't really appeal to me.  This salad, however, was a pretty perfect lunch on a cold day.



Why?  Warm chicken tenders is why.

Have you seen this product at the store?
http://www.perdue.com/products/simplysmart/index.asp?HP=Brand_SimplySmart
Normally I am all about cooking from scratch and making this sort of thing yourself...and you can totally do that too...but this product is pretty tasty and makes putting this salad together a snap.  Check out the nutrition stats and the short ingredient list HERE

A 3 oz. ( about two medium sized strips) serving of these breaded chicken strips comes in at 3 Points+.  That's really not bad for something that seems so sinful as breaded chicken strips. And let's face it...some days time is short...or you just don't feel like cooking...Yes, we all have those days!

What inspired me to make this salad though, was the recipe for the dressing, Creamy Pear Vinaigrette.  I found it over at Meal Planning Maven where Linda is serving up all sorts of delicious recipes!


I used perfectly ripe red pears in my salad, but you can use any variety you like!  The sweet and salty combination of this salad was perfect on a cold Ohio afternoon!  In fact, I think this salad needs to make another appearance in my house soon!!


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Warm Chicken, Pear, and Blue Cheese Salad with Pear Vinaigrette


Servings - 1   Serving Size - 1 salad with 2 TBS of dressing   Points Plus per Serving - salad = 8 Points+,  Dressing = 2 Points+
For Salad:  Calories - 302,   Total Fat - 9.7g,   Carb. - 36.3g,   Protein - 22.1g,   Fiber - 5.5g
For 2 TBS Dressing:  Calories - 75.5,   Total Fat - 7.5g,   Carb. - 2.9g,   Protein - 0.1g,   Fiber - 0.4g

Ingredients:

For Salad:
2 1/2 cups Mixed baby salad greens
1/2 medium ripe pear (any variety), sliced
1/2 cup red grapes, halved
1/2 oz. crumbled blue cheese

For Dressing:
1 medium ripe pear (any variety), peeled, chopped and cored
3 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
  1. To prepare the dressing:  In a small food processor or blender, add the pear, vinegar, mustard, and sugar. Process or blend until a smooth puree.  With the blades running, slowly add in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil.  Taste for salt and pepper, and add as desired.  Pour dressing into a container and set aside while assembling the salad. Recipe will yield approx. 1 1/4 cups. 
  2. To assemble salad:  Place the salad greens on a plate.  Top with pear slices, grapes, chicken, and blue cheese.  Top with 2 TBS of the prepared dressing.  Store remainder of dressing, covered in the refrigerator.   
Dressing Recipe adapted from Meal Planning Maven
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I admit, at 10 P+ for the entire salad with dressing, a bit of a splurge.  But trust me, it's totally worth it.   Leave the chicken off for fewer calories and points, if you like. 

We've had to move up the date for the Valentine's Menu to Monday instead of Friday...so look for it then!


6 comments:

  1. This chicken would be great for quick meals! I think it'd be great in lettuce wraps too. And I love fruit on salads. Beautiful work!!

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    Replies
    1. it would make great lettuce wraps! and it does make a really quick meal!! Thank you Erica!

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  2. Oooh, I AM a winter salad girl and this looks so good. I love pears and blue cheese on salad, and those chicken strips look so good and easy.

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    Replies
    1. They really are pretty tasty! I don't normally buy that kind of stuff..but sometimes time is short and it's good to have something like that in the freezer. I liked the short list of ingredients. The combination of this salad is really so good!

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    2. Hi Renee...I just found your beautiful blog post! I am so deeply honored you thought enough of my Creamy Pear Vinaigrette to adapt it for use on your gorgeous salad! It looks absolutely delicious and your photography is stunning! Thank you so much! :) Linda

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    3. thank you Linda! It's a great healthy recipe and I really enjoyed this salad. I hope that my readers will be visiting your blog for more delicious recipes from you!

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