Harvest Chicken Chopped Salad with Creamy Honey Balsamic Dressing

As soon as I saw the photo of this salad from Lilikoi Joy, I knew I would love it since salads with a of veggies, fruits, berries and nuts are my favorite and the dressing sounded so good too. Oh, it was! I halved the recipe, but will make a full recipe next time so I can keep eating it for days. I left out the cheese and green cabbage in the salad and the fresh herbs I used in the dressing were basil and parsley. Love how you can grill up some chicken for this or use leftover or even rotisserie chicken.

And I will have a giveaway on my blog coming up next week, so stay tuned, any readers I may still have after my blog posting has gone way down. I still love y'all.

Harvest Chicken Chopped Salad with Creamy Honey Balsamic Dressing

Dressing:
3/4 c. mayonnaise
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. honey
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1-2 T. fresh herbs, minced
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Ingredients for salad:
4-6 c. chopped romaine lettuce
1 c. chopped green cabbage
1 c. chopped red cabbage
2 c. cooked chicken breasts, cooled and cubed (about 2 breasts)
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 medium apple, cored and chopped (tip: add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to apples to reduce browning)
1/2 c. dried cranberries
3/4 - 1 c. hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans, toasted in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, then roughly chopped 
4 oz. gorgonzola or other bleu cheese, crumbled
4-6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/2 c. fresh blueberries

Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, and fresh herbs and whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If too thick, add 1-2 teaspoons of water to thin it down.

Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, cabbages, chicken, red onion, apple, dried cranberries, hazelnuts, gorgonzola cheese, and bacon. Add about 1/2 the dressing and toss to combine. Keep adding more dressing until the flavor and creaminess level is right for you. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold the blueberries into the salad at the end so they don't break up during the mixing process. Serve.
Yield: 4-6 servings