Roasted Chicken Salad with Ginger

The slightly tart flavor from this dish's lime juice and green apples is balanced by pieces of sweet apricot.

The low-fat dressing is made with reduced-fat sour cream and mayonnaise. Don't be tempted to omit the fresh ginger -- its subtle flavor makes all the difference.

Preparation time 25 minutes

You Will Need
Salad
1 broiler-fryer chicken, roasted (3 1/2 pounds) or 1 1/2 pounds cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 large green apples, such as Granny Smith, unpeeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 cup quartered dried apricots

Dressing
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced white onion

Garnish
1/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts
Sprigs of watercress

What to Do
1. If using a whole roasted chicken, remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and place in a large serving bowl.

2. Squeeze the lime juice into a medium-size bowl. Add the apples to the juice. Toss until all of the pieces are well coated.

3. To the chicken, add the apples and any lime juice remaining in the bowl, the celery, and the apricots. Toss gently until well mixed. 4. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, ginger, salt, and pepper. Fold in the onion. Spoon this dressing over the chicken mixture and toss gently until all the pieces are coated well. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts on top of the salad and garnish with the sprigs of watercress.

Some More Ideas
Smoked turkey salad: Substitute 1 1/2 pounds cooked boneless, skinless smoked turkey breast, cut into bite-size pieces, for the chicken. Substitute 1 cup dried pitted cherries for the apricots.

Chicken and grape salad: Add 1 cup red or purple seedless grapes, cut in half, with the apples, celery, and apricots. Substitute 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds for the walnuts.

Chicken and pineapple salad: Add 2 cups fresh pineapple wedges with the apples, celery, and apricots.

Chicken and melon salad: Substitute 2 cups honeydew melon balls for the apricots.

Plus Points

• This recipe offers a good source of dietary fiber, thanks to the unpeeled apples, celery, and dried apricots. Fiber is essential to keep the digestive tract healthy. The soluble fiber pectin, found mostly in the peels of fruits and vegetables, can also lower blood cholesterol levels.
• Dried apricots provide a good source of beta-carotene. They are also one of the best fruit sources of iron.
• When nuts are added to a meal in small amounts, they help to maintain satiety due to their high fat content.
  
  Exchanges: fruit 1 ½, meat (lean) 4, fat 1/2
  
  Serves 8
  
  Nutritional Information
  Each serving provides calories 336, calories from fat 125, fat 14g, saturated fat 3g, cholesterol 87mg, sodium 521mg, carbohydrate 24g, fiber 4g, sugars 15g, protein 30g. Excellent source of niacin, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin B6. Good source of iron, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin C.