Chicken Salad With Nectarines and Goat Cheese

By Ali Slagle

Updated May 5, 2024

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(724)
Comments
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Crunchy and creamy, sweet and tangy, this main dish salad is a new take on the goat cheese, spinach and fruit salads of the 1980s. Lemon-kissed nectarines and shallots are tossed with chicken, pita chips and greens. A mature green like spinach adds heft, but any salad green works. Goat cheese cream hidden beneath the salad is a delightful surprise; you get a bit of the tangy cream every few bites. Make it vegetarian by nixing the chicken and adding white beans to the nectarines in Step 1. Embellish freely with thinly sliced beets, sunflower seeds, sliced jalapeños or soft herbs, or swap in another stone fruit like apricots or cherries.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 1 ½ to 2 pounds ripe but firm nectarines, pitted and sliced (4 to 6 nectarines)

  • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced

  • 6 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more to taste (from 2 lemons)

  • Salt and black pepper

  • 1 cup buttermilk, plus more as needed

  • 8 ounces goat cheese, preferably herbed, at room temperature

  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

  • 3 to 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (from about 1 rotisserie chicken)

  • 1 to 2 cups lightly crushed pita chips

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste

  • 8 to 10 ounces salad greens, such as mature spinach, arugula or watercress

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

30 grams carbs; 80 milligrams cholesterol; 454 calories; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 24 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 900 milligrams sodium; 33 grams protein; 15 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, stir together the nectarines, shallot and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, mash together the buttermilk, goat cheese and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and thin with more buttermilk until it’s the consistency of a dip. (Both mixtures can be made up to an hour ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before eating.)

  2. Step 2

    When you’re ready to eat, add the chicken, pita chips and olive oil to the nectarines, and stir to combine. Add the greens, season them with salt and pepper, and stir once more. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, lemon juice and oil until flavors are bright and punchy.

  3. Step 3

    Spread the goat cheese cream on plates, then top with the salad (or dot the salad with the goat cheese cream). Serve immediately.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
724 user ratings
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Comments

JMR

Would mixing goat cheese with Greek Yoghurt or Sour Cream work. I can't stand Buttermilk...

Sue

Plain regular (not Greek) yogurt or kefir would be your best bet, if you'd like to achieve a similarly soft dip-like texture.

Paul

How would peaches work?

m

Next time I will skip the lemon on the fruit, it made it too puckery despite ripe, farm-fresh nectarines. I’ll save it to dress the greens directly.

Amy

Step 1: zest lemon, then juice them

Kani

Delicious with toasted pistachios instead of chicken. Used goat cheese mixed with some regular yogurt. For two people, I tossed a sliced peach (instead of nectarine) in the juice of a half lemon plus a bit of olive oil and Urfa pepper, then put the slices in a pan in the toaster oven to warm them and heighten the flavor. Sprinkled the 1T remaining lemon juice mixture over the arugula. Very tasty.

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