Chicken and Wild Rice Salad

More About This Recipe

• So you're a wild one, huh? Then this one's for you: Hearty and healthful Chicken & Wild Rice Salad!
  
  Wild rice was once a staple in the diet of many Native American tribes. Today, it's considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. In terms of diet and nutrition, wild rice trumps most rices in the amount of protein, minerals, B vitamins, folic acid, and carbohydrates found in each serving.
  
  So let's embrace a new grain in this fab Chicken and Wild Rice Salad recipe!
  
  An Easy Salad
  
  First, you're going to need some cooked wild rice. Buy it or cook it ahead of time and let it cool. (There more about that at the end of this article.) After that it's a snap.
  
  Dried cranberries and halved pecans-- they add a bit of sweet, earthy flavor to this chicken salad.
  
  Taking a tip from tabbouleh, add in a bit of chopped parsley for color.
  
  A bit of chopped onion, then a drizzle of tangy-sweet dressing and you're good to go!
  
  Combine it all and ... yummers! Dish up your salad and enjoy it for lunch or dinner.
  
  About Wild Rice
  
  In my own kitchen, I keep wild rice on hand, but rarely use it because it feels so much more finicky than other rices. It requires a longer cooking time, and doesn't pair perfectly with every meal. So, I often leave that wild stuff on the shelf and opt instead for the less healthful white rice.
  
  If you, like me, have been making excuses, eschewing wild rice for the more simple, basic grains, it's time we pull that container off the shelf and work some serious magic with the stuff! This beautiful recipe is quite simple to whip up and happens to be so delicious, it's almost addictive!
  
  Besides ... did you know you can buy canned wild rice already cooked?! Now, there's the easy way to integrate a great grain into your everyday life!
  
  If you cook it yourself, the proportions are 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water. Plan on about an hour to prep and cook the rice on the stovetop.
  
  If you're looking for a way to make it yourself but cut down on prep time, try making a big ol' batch of wild rice one day, then spoon it into freezer bags. These bags can be quickly thawed for snappy preparation of this meal, or any other recipe that calls for wild rice. You're also going to need a single breast of chicken that has been cooked and shredded.
  
  More Wild Rice Recipes
  
  If you're crazy for wild rice, or even just trying it for the first time, here are a few more recipes to get you going:
  
  Wild Rice and Turkey Casserole Recipe
  Wild Rice Soup Recipe
  Grilled Dijon and Wild Rice Burgers Recipe
  Wild Rice and Beef Casserole Recipe
  Slow Cooker Ham and Wild Rice Soup Recipe
  
  Brooke blogs at Cheeky Kitchen where she shares fun family recipes. She joined Tablespoon to share some of her best, so keep an eye on Brooke's profile to see what she cooks up next!
  
  What have you made with wild rice?