One day I saw a humongous papaya at the market, (nearly the size of a watermelon!) and couldn't resist purchasing it. Often, such large overgrown produce is not all that tasty, but this one was so intriguing and, luckily, turned out to be perfectly ripe and very sweet as well.
Since it was so big, I decided to slice it into rings to use as a decorative (and edible) garnish for a tropical chicken salad. This makes such a pretty dish, with the beautiful peachy papaya color, in contrast with the green hues of the lettuce, lime and avocado. You can use any type of dressing or chicken salad you like in the dish, but here is the recipe I conjured up using lime juice, yogurt and a little bit of fresh ginger, too! You can always replace the yogurt with mayonnaise, if you prefer.And, you could toss in a few candied pecan bits to make a crunchy addition to this salad, too.
If you find regular sized papayas at your market, simply cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and use them as an edible bowl for your chicken salad!
Since it was so big, I decided to slice it into rings to use as a decorative (and edible) garnish for a tropical chicken salad. This makes such a pretty dish, with the beautiful peachy papaya color, in contrast with the green hues of the lettuce, lime and avocado. You can use any type of dressing or chicken salad you like in the dish, but here is the recipe I conjured up using lime juice, yogurt and a little bit of fresh ginger, too! You can always replace the yogurt with mayonnaise, if you prefer.And, you could toss in a few candied pecan bits to make a crunchy addition to this salad, too.
If you find regular sized papayas at your market, simply cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and use them as an edible bowl for your chicken salad!
| Papaya-Avocado Chicken Salad |
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INGREDIENTS
2boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces, or shredded
1 avocado
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 crumbled blue cheese
1 large papaya, sliced into 1-inch thick rings (can use 2 smaller papayas halved) remove seeds
1-2 green onion, sliced very thin, save some for garnish and some for in salad
1 recipe of yogurt-lime dressing (below)
Leaf lettuce leaves for plate garnish
Dressing
3 tablespoons plain low fat yogurt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar (depending upon desired sweetness)
Juice of 1/2 (large) lime
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely minced or crushed
Mix all and shake well. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
DIRECTIONS
In a salad bowl, gently toss chicken, bacon, blue cheese and avocado with dressing. Arrange lettuce leaves on salad plate, and place papaya ring on top. Scoop chicken salad into papaya ring and garnish with green onion.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA