Chicken, Pineapple, and Poppyseed Salad
A very versatile salad blend that can be served as a single course meal, a sandwich spread, or with a glass of Cold Duck and a Fruit & Cheese Platter as an appetizer.
A very versatile salad blend that can be served as a single course meal, a sandwich spread, or with a glass of Cold Duck and a Fruit & Cheese Platter as an appetizer.
- sea salt to taste
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1 small spaghetti squash
- 2 - 10 oz. cans chicken breast drained
- 1 - 20 oz. can pineapple chunks drained
- 1 - 12 oz jar poppy seed dressing
- 1/2 cup parsley dried
- 1 tbsp. mint leaves dried
- 1/4 cup green onion chopped (i have also used leek when short on green onions)
- 1 tbsp. lime juice concentrate
- tri-color pepper grinder to taste
- Carbohydrate 12.14992725 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 10.64943575 g
- Fiber 1.51300004720688 g
- Protein 2.325159 g
- Saturated Fat 1.013819575 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (162g)
- Sodium 46.076075 mg
- Sugar 10.6369272027931 g
- Trans Fat 0.7143932 g
- Calories 140 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Wash the spaghetti squash and place on foil lined cooking sheet, DO NOT CUT YET.
- Roll to other side once about halfway through this process.
- Bake whole for roughly 30 minutes or the insides are soft enough for you to push the skin.
- Rinse in cool water.
- You will find it is now much easier to slice and seed the squash with the help of an oven mitt and serrated knife.
- This can be done on any tough to cut squash.
- After slicing (longwise) and seeding the spaghetti squash, use a fork to seperate into the spaghetti strands that gave this squash it's name.
- Place spaghetti strands in medium mixing bowl.
- Add two cans drained chicken, using fork to seperate the chunks into shreds.
- Fold gently with a paddle, you don't want the spaghetti squash to fall apart into a mush.
- Add pineapple chucks and poppyseed dressing to mixing bowl, folding gently.
- Add remaining ingredients to mixing bowl and continue to fold gently throughout.
- Serve warm in a bowl.
- If you want a sandwich spread instead use crushed pineapple, withhold the chicken and reserve 1/4 cup poppyseed dressing to side.
- You might want to run through a chopper for a smoother spread.
- If you want a dip use crushed pineapple, withhold chicken at your option and run through a blender.
- For a fancier setting serve in a small bowl with a fruit and cheese platter and a glass of Cold Duck (moderately dry champagne).
- This can also be turned into a vegan friendly meal by simply withhholding the chicken.
- Sadly none of this has survived the first three making for a picture :)
- I will try and remember to snag one next time BEFORE serving to family.
Limited oven space forces a choice when roasting whole squash at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Standard scaling equations fail here because whole winter squash varies wildly in density. Doubling the recipe requires roasting two squashes side-by-side on a heavy aluminum sheet pan rather than crowding them, ensuring the internal flesh reaches softness simultaneously at the thirty-minute mark. Piercing the skin should yield completely without resistance before removal. When increasing batch size for eight or more servings, chemical balancing becomes critical. Poppyseed dressings rely on high acid levels from vinegar or lemon to cut the concentrated sweetness of canned pineapple chunks. Doubling the dressing without tasting the squash strands first will submerge the subtle nutty notes of toasted pecans. Canned chicken introduces excess sodium and moisture if not thoroughly drained in a fine-mesh sieve for five minutes. Folding cooked spaghetti strands requires a silicone spatula rather than a wire whisk to preserve the long, spaghetti-like integrity of the vegetable pulp without turning the mixture into starch paste. If doubling yields for a large gathering, mix the dressing in a separate vessel and add it incrementally. The high sugar content from the fruit pulls water from the squash cells over time, transforming leftovers into a watery pool if stored longer than twenty-four hours in a sealed glass container.
