Cherry-Chicken Salad

The fresh cherries have been so wonderful this year. I have bought them almost every week and eaten them by the handfuls. Great snack!I ran across a wonderful recipe for chicken salad including fresh cherries. It is from Samsclub.com and is delicious. It calls for the Rainier cherries, but I am using the regular, dark sweet cherries available in all the markets right now.

Cherry-Chicken Salad*
(serves 4)

3 cups chicken meat, cooked and chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. cherries, pitted and halved
2 Tbsp. minced chives
1 tsp grated fresh ginger root
3/4 cup toasted, chopped pecans, optional

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I would use light)
1/2 c. sour cream (I would use light or fat-free)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Mix the chicken meat, green onions, celery, cherries, chives and ginger together in a large bowl. Stir in the toasted pecans.

2. In a separate bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spoon dressing over the chicken mixture and toss to coat evenly.

Preparation Tip:
To save a preparation step, rotisserie chicken meat may be used for the chicken meat.

*Recipe from: www3.samsclub.com/meals/recipes/cherry-chicken-salad 8/23/2011