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Parisian chicken salad with apples and celery served on a bed of lettuce

Parisian Chicken Salad with Celery, Apples and Mint on a Bed of Greenleaf Lettuce

Course: Salad
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Sweet, tart and mint! This is the most refreshing salad ever, and it’s perfect for a warm fall afternoon when the apples ripened to perfection.

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Ingredients

  • 3 organic apples chilled
  • 1 bunch organic celery
  • 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 medium free range chicken breasts bone in, roasted and chilled
  • 1/2 - 3/4 cup plain organic yogurt
  • 1/4 cup homemade mayonnaise*
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 bunch fresh mint
  • salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

  • fresh greens: butterleaf, green or red leaf lettuce
  • a handful of whole mint leaves for garnish

For Sandwiches:

  • sandwich rolls
  • red onion very thinly sliced
  • tomato thickly sliced

Instructions

  1. Select three of your favorite varieties of apple, one apple from each variety and refrigerate the day before you plan to make the salad. The more diverse the flavors of the apples, the better.
  2. Set aside two whole pre-roasted chicken breasts from a whole chicken or roast two bone in breasts on their own at least a few hours before you plan to make the salad, or the day before and refrigerate.

To make the salad:

  1. Core and chop the apples into 1/2 inch or smaller pieces. They do not have to be exactly uniform, but no really big hunks. Place them in a large salad bowl and toss them with the lemon juice so they are thoroughly covered to keep them from browning.
  2. Use the entire bunch of celery. Remove leaves and bruised or damaged stalks from the celery bunch. Split the stalks into thirds or quarters length-wise and chop fine into 1/4 inch pieces.
  3. Add to the apples and toss again.
  4. Remove the chicken from the bone and carefully make sure that all the bone is removed from the meat. Remove the skin, and cut the chicken into 1/2 inch cubes.
  5. Add the chicken to the celery and apple and toss lightly with salad tongs or large spoons until well mixed.
  6. Remove the stems from the mint. Set aside a small handful of leaves to use as garnish when you serve the salad. Mince the rest of the mint leaves until finely minced. There should be a good sized handful of minced leaves. Spread them over the salad mix and toss until the mint is completely mixed in throughout the salad.
  7. Add the yogurt and mayonnaise and stir until well combined and all the salad is coated in the dressing. Then sprinkle the cumin over the top and mix well until it disappears. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste after the salad is chilled. Serve as a filling for sandwiches with thinly sliced red onion and thickly sliced tomato, or serve on a bed of greens garnished with a few mint leaves.

Recipe Notes

Add baking time for chicken and chilling time for apples.

*If you do not have homemade mayonnaise, you can use the purple cap Vegenaise which is made with grade seed oil for a healthy store bought dressing that is also egg free for those allergic to eggs.