I am partial to chicken salads that contain some fruit.With each bite, you get the savory taste of the chicken with a burst of juicy, cool fruit. Toasted nuts add crunch as well as a savory punch.

Ingredients:

Poached Chicken:
1^1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 rib celery, cut in half
1/2 onion, peeled
1 slice lemon
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Salad:
1 cup pecan halves, toasted
Poached chicken (from recipe), cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup diced Vidalia onion
1 rib celery, diced small
1/2 pound fresh cherries, pitted
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

For the poached chicken: Place the chicken in a 4 to 6-quart pot. Add enough cold water to cover the chicken by 1 inch. Add the celery, onion, lemon slice, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the pot. Cool completely and chop before making the salad.

For the salad: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place the pecans in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, removing once to stir, until fragrant and toasted. Watch carefully to avoid burning.

In a medium mixing bowl place the chicken, onion, celery, cherries, and pecans. Add the mayonnaise and gently stir so that all the contents are lightly covered in mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings. Removing pits from cherries is undeniably tedious, but a cherry pitter (found at most kitchen supply stores) makes the job more tolerable. You’ll end up with mushed fruit and stained fingers if you attempt to do it all by hand. For a shortcut, use oven-roasted chicken (even one purchased at the supermarket) instead of poaching the breasts yourself.