Summer Recipes: Mandarin Chicken Salad

When the weather becomes hot and steamy during the summer, I often lose my appetite. Trying to come up with a good menu to serve my family during summer months can be a real chore. My favorite standby menu when it is too hot to eat is: Mandarin Chicken Salad, roll, tossed salad (with any fresh veggies such as tomato or sugar snap pea pods that are ripe in my garden at the time) and for dessert, root beer float cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Root beer float cake is another family favorite; the recipe can be found by clicking here.

I first served Mandarin Chicken Salad to my girlfriends at a mommy and kids fun day luncheon. It was an instant hit not only with the mommies but also the kids. Since then, my family has come to love this recipe and often requests it during steamy summer days. I usually double this easy recipe as four servings does not leave us any leftovers to enjoy later.

Mandarin Chicken Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 C. diced, cooked chicken (leftover or freshly cooked)

1 C. chopped celery

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 - 11 ounce can mandarin oranges

1 C. seedless grapes, halved

1 tsp. lemon pepper

¾ C. mayonnaise

1 Tbs. chopped onion

½ C. chopped pecans, toasted

Combine and mix all ingredients except for the oranges and pecans. Gently fold in oranges and chill mixture. Add toasted pecans just before serving.

Whether served for lunch or dinner, this is a perfect recipe for hot summer days. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!