Pear and Feta Salad with Pecan Crusted Chicken

People tell me often that I am creative. So, I sat down and tried to think of how creativity works for me personally. Usually, I will get an idea-for a recipe or a poem or a painting-and it will float around in my head for a while. The idea will gather other ideas and snowball (or mushroom?) until I must purge myself by creating. Most often the creation pours out of me whole. To an outsider it must appear as if the end result just sprang out at that moment and therefore seems more spontaneous than it really is. But trust me, there are many threads floating around in here….

I don’t know where the inspiration for this recipe came from. It has just been floating around in my head for a week or so. I think I read (Facebook) about a maple pecan encrusted chicken dish, maybe? Who knows? Who cares? I did this. It tastes marvelous.

Serves: 4
Time: 10 minutes
Hardware: Salad bowl & salad tongs, measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board, and knives, a bowl, 4 serving dishes

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of pre-washed Italian salad greens
• 2 slices red onion, separated into ring
• 2 cups of cold water
• 1 pear
• 1 cup of your favorite vinaigrette (or make my Pear Infused White Wine Vinaigrette)
• ¼ cup + 4 teaspoons crumbled feta cheese
• ½ pound pecan crusted chicken pieces (you can substitute chicken fingers)
• ¼ cup candied pecans (optional)
• Dash of S&P

1. Soak the onion slices in the bowl of cold water. This will make them less pungent.
2. Peel, core and slice the pear into ¼ inch chunks. Toss the pear pieces in a tablespoon of the vinaigrette. This will help prevent browning.
3. Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces.
4. Roughly chop the pecans (if you are using them)
5. Drain the onions. Roughly dice half of them set the other half aside.
6. Toss the greens with ½ cup of the vinaigrette.
7. Add ¼ cup feta, the chopped onions, pears, and a dash of S&P and toss with the rest of the vinaigrette.
8. Place the salad in serving bowls. Top each serving with onion rings, a tablespoon of candied pecans, 1 teaspoon of feta and the chicken slices.

Serve right away.
 

Seriously good food!