This Delicious Chicken Salad has been my staple this summer. Maybe it is old age, but I have never been more bothered by this intense heat.

My delicious chicken salad must be packed with flavor though. No boring chunks of fry chicken with heaps of mayonnaise. No, I want flavor and crunch and comfort all in one bite. So the chicken must be smoked or roasted, the lettuce must be crunchy, the cheese must have a punch and then the salad dressing must just be drop-dead delicious.

So in my case, I used smoked chicken. I roasted some butternut while I cooked the previous night’s meal and I used Fairview White Rock with Cranberries. It is a mild, semi-soft white cheese with added cranberries and natural fruit essences. A lovely combination of sweet fruits and a cheesy flavour. A favourite in the tasting room on the Fairview farm. In the delicious chicken salad this cheese compliments the smoked chicken perfectly and add a wonderful fruitiness the the salad. Of course this salad is just perfect with a light lunch and a glass of ice cold Fairview Darling Sauvignon Blanc.

Delicious Chicken Salad with roasted butternut

serves 4

Ingredients

2-4 smoked chicken breasts – cut in smaller chunks

2 cups roasted butternut chunks

4 handfuls of fresh salad leaves

1 x Fairview White Rock with Cranberries

½ cup mixed seeds – pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds

10 ml olive oil

2 ml BBQ spice

Ranch Salad Dressing

Method

First toast the nuts. Heat a pan on the stove and toast the seeds until you hear them pop. The add the olive oil and spice and mix. Remove the seeds from the pan and cool until needed. (the flavored seeds keep well in a Tupperware container).

Arrange 4 plates and place a handful of fresh mixed leaves in each plate. Share the chicken between the four plates. Top with the butternut and the cheese. Scatter the seeds over the salad just before serving. Serve with the ranch dressing and fresh bread.

How to roast butternut

Peel and cut the butternut into smaller chunks. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle some olive over the top. Season with salt and pepper and roast at 180 C until soft and slightly charred on the edges.

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