From my plate to yours – Chicken with Wild Rice and Walnuts. I am eating some right now and it is out of this world!

When I make chicken stock with a whole bird, I like to use about half of the meat for something other than soup… in this case a salad that is richly flavored and full of protein — perfect for a cold New England day!!  If you make this salad while preparing the soup, there is a nice economy of effort, since you’ll be chopping onions, parsley, and celery for both dishes.

Chicken with Wild Rice and Walnuts

Chicken — roughly 1/2 of a small bird (5-ish lbs) — chopped
Be sure to use half of the bird’s tender breast meat
1 cup cooked rice — I used mostly brown, with some grains of wild
3 stalks celery — chopped
3-4 tablespoons white onion — diced
1/4 c walnuts — chopped
1/2 cup parsley — chopped
olive oil and salt and pepper

There is so much flavor here, that a generous sprinkling of a fruity, extra virgin olive oil, plus a little S&P, is all the dressing needed.

You can skip the inclusion of wild rice (though I love the color!), but you will sacrifice too much taste and toothsome texture if you substitute white rice (I have some wonderful white rice salads for the summer).

Variation: If you are in the mood for a richer, creamier salad, you could use a more classic mayonnaise-based dressing.

Enjoy!