while i have never actually been to sonoma, california – i can imagine that it’s the most lovely of places.
but, thanks to the prepared foods section at whole foods, i can take a pretend trip to sonoma during my lunch hour a few times a week!
how you ask? well, with their sonoma chicken salad, of course!
sonoma chicken salad.
why the name?
well, i have scoured the internet + pretty much to closest i can get to an explanation for the namesake is due to the gorgeous grapes it includes!
..sonoma is located in wine country.. grapes are in wine.. so the salad is basically an ode to wine!
#SOLD
while the salad is perfectly satisfying on its own, i found myself reaching for an avocado every now + then to switch things up. {just realized just how cali this is!}
i dont know about you, but i really really dig avocados. and will pretty much find any excuse to include them in a meal. so adding the buttery bites to the already decadent salad, well let’s just say it was usually a friday treat!
so! once i found + tweaked the original recipe, i just knew i had to get a little crazy + invite avocado to to party!
are you familiar with smashed avocado toast? also meaning, are you living under a rock? well. i decided to use that method on traditional water crackers + build a little sonoma chicken tower on top!
call it a fun appetizer! or a light dinner!
whatever you call it, call it soon, because this combo is one not to be missed!
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup 0% plain greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- salt + freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup walnuts, toasted + chopped
- 2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado
- water crackers
- preheat your oven to 375°
- in a medium sized mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, greek yogurt, vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt + pepper. set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
- place the chicken breasts in one layer in a baking dish with water + bake for 20 minutes. remove cooked chicken breast from the pan + let cool to room temperature.
- once the chicken has cooled, dice into bite-size chunks + transfer to the mixing bowl with the dressing. stir in the walnuts, grapes + celery.
- stir to evenly coat + serve atop smashed avocado crackers! enjoy!
skip the at-home roasting + pick up a rotisserie to speed things up!
some folks enjoy dried cranberries in the mix.
you can swap the walnuts for whatever nuts you have on-hand! pecans, sunflower seeds + hazlenuts are all great options!
skip the mayo + only use greek yogurt for a calorie drop! up your yogurt amount to 1/2 cup to keep the amounts the same!
serving atop crackers is a perfect appetizer! ..especially for a wine night!
the mixture will stay covered airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
thanks to whole foods for posting their original recipe online! mine here is slightly adapted!
watch me whip! ..this salad up!
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I’ve always wanted to go to Sonoma too! I guess I will have to settle with this chicken salad though because I don’t think I will ve getting out there anytime soon! I love the addition of the grapes and avocado!
doesn’t sonoma just seem so delightful! thanks for stopping by! -k