Cantaloupe Chicken Salad

When I was browsing through my Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2008 cookbook a few weeks ago, one of the (many) recipes that caught my eye was a recipe for cantaloupe chicken salad. When I saw the recipe, it was like a light bulb went off in my head. I love fruit in my chicken salad -- why hadn't I ever thought of using cantaloupe instead of the grapes I typically use?

I really intended to follow their recipe, but I kept tweaking it until, ultimately, it turned out pretty much just like my go-to chicken salad, only with cantaloupe instead of grapes and a few other minor changes. I loved the taste of the cantaloupe in the chicken salad; it provided such a nice sweetness and lent its lovely juice to the flavor of the dressing. This was such a quick and easy dinner, and it's going to be perfect for lunches over the next couple of days. I'm so glad I stumbled across the recipe that gave me this idea!

Cantaloupe Chicken Salad
source: inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2008; the original recipe can be viewed here

2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken breast (a rotisserie chicken works perfectly for this)
1 1/2 cups cubed cantaloupe
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/8 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 to 1 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
Wheat rolls, split

Combine first seven ingredients in a large bowl. Add Miracle Whip or mayonnaise to desired creaminess. Serve on wheat rolls. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.