by Charlene Davis

Created on: September 01, 2008

This summer our family went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for vacation and had the pleasure of visiting the Applewood Farmhouse. This is a quaint cluster of shops and restaurants that is surrounded by the Smokey Mountains and acres of apple trees. They have porch swings and rocking chairs placed all around the meandering verandah that overlook a pretty creek. It's a perfect place for the menfolk to relax while the women do a little shopping. Or in my case, a lot of shopping!

We ate at the restaurant a couple of times because the food was fabulous. The chicken salad was my favorite thing on the menu, so after coming home I decided to try and duplicate it. I came up with a version that my family and I think is a close match:

CHAR'S SUMMERTIME CHICKEN SALAD

2 cups pre-cooked chicken, diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup seedless green grapes, sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced (include some of the green part)
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (can use almonds or pecans)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, mayonnaise, sour cream, grapes, green onions, and walnuts. Drizzle the honey and lemon juice over the chicken, and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Gently mix everything together until thoroughly blended.

This light, refreshing chicken salad can be served on lettuce leaves, or in croissant or sandwich rolls.

NOTE: A few weeks after I created my version of the Applewood chicken salad, I found their website online with the recipe. But after looking it over, I think I will stick to my version. You can see theirs at: http://www.applewoodfarmhouserestaurant.com/recipes- chicken-salad.html

Learn more about this author, Charlene Davis.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.