I found a bag of baby arugula at Sawyer’s Market in Lucaya, Grand Bahamas, and I knew I wanted to make a special salad with it. I suspect one doesn’t come across arugula very often in The Bahamas. So I set out to create a special lunch for Kory and myself with this tasty ingredient. In case you’ve never used arugula, it is a peppery, spicy, and slightly tart leafy green. A sweet poppyseed dressing pairs well with these tangy leaves.
Ingredients:
- ▢ 16 oz arugula, washed and dry
- ▢ 1 cup shredded, cooked, chicken breast
- ▢ 1 red apple, any variety, diced
- ▢ 12 purple grapes, cut in half
- ▢ 2 Tbs. golden raisins
- ▢ 2 Tbs. chopped toasted pecans
- ▢ 2 Tbs. toasted slivered almonds
- ▢ 2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
- ▢ Poppyseed dressing
- ▢ Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
- Wash arugula and divide into two bowls, about 1-2 cups each.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded chicken breast on top of arugula. I precooked several chicken breasts with broth, salt, pepper, and garlic in an Instant Pot and then shredded it with forks when it was cool. But you could use rotisserie chicken or even canned chicken breast in a pinch.
- Divide diced apple, grape halves, raisins, pecans, and slivered almonds and sprinkle on top of salad.
- Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese on top, if using. Crumbled feta would pair well with this too.
- Add poppyseed dressing right before serving, or at the table. That’s it! Enjoy!
I used Breanna’s Home Style Poppyseed Dressing. However, you can easily make your own homemade dressing by mixing the following ingredients, transferring it into a jar, and keeping it cold in the fridge. It’s quite good!
Homemade Poppyseed Dressing:
- ▢ ¾ cup mayo
- ▢ ¼ cup milk
- ▢ ¼ cup sugar
- ▢ ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ▢ 2 tablespoons poppyseeds
- ▢ ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
