Chicken Salad in Cantaloupe Bowls

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The following recipe was adapted from Tastes Better from Scratch

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I once attended a networking lunch where this was the meal served. I fell in love at once and vowed that one day I would recreate it. As it turns out, it was one of the first meals I ever made my husband (my boyfriend at the time) and both the man and the meal have been keepers ever since.

Cooking Level

FOUNDATIONAL | Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Karyn Shalda, Cooking to the Point

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Chicken Salad in Cantaloupe Bowls

This refreshing take on the chicken salad sandwich removes the bread and replaces it with fresh fruit. The cantaloupe provides a juicy sweet companion to the savory chicken and celery, and combined with the crunch of pecans and the sweet chewiness of grapes and dried cherries, this meal has winner winner chicken dinner all over it.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 celery stalks
• 1/2 C dried cherries or dried cranberries
• 1 large bunch of red seedless grapes
• 1 C mayonnaise
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1/4 t celery seed
• 1 T champagne vinegar
• 1/8 t ground ginger
• 1/8 t ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T honey roasted pecan pieces
• 2 small cantaloupes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a baking sheet (you can like the sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for less mess) and season the 2 chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop 2 stalks of celery and cut the bunch of red seedless grapes in half lengthwise (you should have about a cup of grapes). Place the celery and grapes in a medium-sized bowl along with 1/2 C dried cherries or cranberries. 
3. Once the chicken is done and has cooled a bit, cut into small bite-sized pieces and add to the bowl.
4. Add 1 C mayonnaise, 1 T Dijon mustard, 1/4 t celery seed, 1 T champagne vinegar, 1/8 t ground ginger, and 1/8 t ground nutmeg to the bowl and mix everything to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and fold in the 2 T honey roasted pecan pieces.*
5. Cut the 2 cantaloupes in half and scoop out the seeds, making a bowl out of the fruit. Place as much chicken salad in the cantaloupe bowl as desired. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool completely, about an hour.
6. Served chilled. Enjoy!

*To fold means to stir the ingredients in gently, sort of folding the mixture into itself with wide scooping motions. This technique is mostly used in baking, but is used in this case because we don’t want to be rough with these tender pecans.

Additionally in place of pecans, you can use almonds or skip the nuts all together!