Here is a very simple wintry salad using cooked smoked chicken…or of course, leftover turkey. Ready in less than ten minutes.

If the dried berries you are using are a bit too dried out, soak them first in orange or apple juice, or in cold tea.

You might also be interested to see an alternative chicken (or turkey) salad on Saucy Dressings – Chicken Salad for Cheats with Lovely Lemony Mayonnaise Dressing; or any of these chicken salad recipes.

Recipe for Christmasy chicken salad with avocado and dried berries

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 200g/7 oz cooked chicken slices – ideally smoked – or, of course, you could use leftover turkey!
• 130g/5 oz bag mixed peppery leaves – rocket, watercress, baby spinach
• 4 tbsps dried; cranberries, goji berries, or sour cherries
• 150g/5 oz sugar snap peas
• 1 ripe avocado
• juice and zest of a lime
• 4 tbsps roughly chopped walnuts or pecans
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 3 tbsps walnut oil
• salt and pepper
• fresh coriander or lemon thyme – whichever is available

Method

1. Blanch the sugar snaps for a couple of minutes and refresh under cold running water. Leave to drain.
2. Dry fry the walnuts
   3. Make the dressing by mixing: the two oils, the salt and pepper, the lime zest and the juice of half the lime, and the chopped coriander or the lemon thyme leaves. Add the dried berries.
   4. Put the peppery leaves into a small salad bowl. Spread over the cooked chicken, the sugar snaps and the walnuts.
   5. Destone and peel and slice the avocado. Add any soft avocado flesh sticking to the peel to the dressing. Toss the avocado slices in the juice from the remaining half lime – this will stop the avocado turning brown if you want to make this salad half and hour or so ahead of time.
   6. Drizzle over the dressing, toss and serve.