Warm Chicken, Pear, and Blue Cheese Salad with Pear Vinaigrette

I'm not much of a salad in the winter type of girl.  Eating something that is cold in the winter just doesn't really appeal to me.  This salad, however, was a pretty perfect lunch on a cold day.

Why?  Warm chicken tenders is why.

Have you seen this product at the store?

Normally I am all about cooking from scratch and making this sort of thing yourself...and you can totally do that too...but this product is pretty tasty and makes putting this salad together a snap.  Check out the nutrition stats and the short ingredient list HERE. 

A 3 oz. ( about two medium sized strips) serving of these breaded chicken strips comes in at 3 Points+.  That's really not bad for something that seems so sinful as breaded chicken strips. And let's face it...some days time is short...or you just don't feel like cooking...Yes, we all have those days!

What inspired me to make this salad though, was the recipe for the dressing, Creamy Pear Vinaigrette.  I found it over at Meal Planning Maven where Linda is serving up all sorts of delicious recipes!

I used perfectly ripe red pears in my salad, but you can use any variety you like!  The sweet and salty combination of this salad was perfect on a cold Ohio afternoon!  In fact, I think this salad needs to make another appearance in my house soon!!

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Warm Chicken, Pear, and Blue Cheese Salad with Pear Vinaigrette

Printable Recipe

Servings - 1   Serving Size - 1 salad with 2 TBS of dressing   Points Plus per Serving - salad = 8 Points+,  Dressing = 2 Points+

For Salad:  Calories - 302,   Total Fat - 9.7g,   Carb. - 36.3g,   Protein - 22.1g,   Fiber - 5.5g

For 2 TBS Dressing:  Calories - 75.5,   Total Fat - 7.5g,   Carb. - 2.9g,   Protein - 0.1g,   Fiber - 0.4g

Ingredients:

For Salad:

2 1/2 cups Mixed baby salad greens

1/2 medium ripe pear (any variety), sliced

1/2 cup red grapes, halved

1/2 oz. crumbled blue cheese

3 oz. Perdue® Simply Smart Breaded Chicken Breast Strips, prepared according to package directions and sliced

For Dressing:

1 medium ripe pear (any variety), peeled, chopped and cored

3 TBS apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. To prepare the dressing:  In a small food processor or blender, add the pear, vinegar, mustard, and sugar. Process or blend until a smooth puree.  With the blades running, slowly add in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil.  Taste for salt and pepper, and add as desired.  Pour dressing into a container and set aside while assembling the salad. Recipe will yield approx. 1 1/4 cups. 
2. To assemble salad:  Place the salad greens on a plate.  Top with pear slices, grapes, chicken, and blue cheese.  Top with 2 TBS of the prepared dressing.  Store remainder of dressing, covered in the refrigerator.   

Dressing Recipe adapted from Meal Planning Maven

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I admit, at 10 P+ for the entire salad with dressing, a bit of a splurge.  But trust me, it's totally worth it.   Leave the chicken off for fewer calories and points, if you like. 

We've had to move up the date for the Valentine's Menu to Monday instead of Friday...so look for it then!