Blue Cheese Chicken Salad

½ cup walnut pieces
1 bag (10 or 12 ounces or 6 cups)
4 ripe roma tomatoes
8 ounces already-cooked chicken breast, preferably grilled
1 cup seedless red grapes
¼ cup or more already-crumbled blue cheese, to taste
Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Place the walnuts on a microwave-safe plate and microwave uncovered, at high setting until fragrant and lightly toasted, 2 to 4 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.

Remove the walnuts from the microwave and set aside to cool. Make the sweet red-wine vinaigrette dressing (recipe follows). Core and slice the tomatoes and set aside.

Place the lettuce and tomatoes into a bowl or individual salad plates. Shake the dressing to recombine and drizzle to taste over the salad. Toss the salad to coat with the dressing and then distribute the chicken, grapes, blue cheese and walnuts over the salad.

Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (more or less to taste)

Combine the vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a 2-cup jar that has a lid (or a bowl that will allow vigorous whisking). Shake until well-combined. Makes about 1 ½ cups. Leftover dressing will keep, covered, in the refrigerator, for several weeks.

Notes: Serves 4 generously.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Origin: Elaine Smith

Uploaded by: Kelly Fowler

Added on: 2006-11-15 12:01:31