Chicken Salad With Nectarines and Goat Cheese

By Ali Slagle

Updated May 6, 2024

Chicken Salad With Nectarines and Goat Cheese
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(705)
Comments
Read comments

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.

Featured in: How to Make Dinner Without Cooking Anything

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1½ to 2pounds ripe but firm nectarines, pitted and sliced (4 to 6 nectarines)
  • 1large shallot, thinly sliced
  • 6tablespoons lemon juice, plus more to taste (from 2 lemons)
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1cup buttermilk, plus more as needed
  • 8ounces goat cheese, preferably herbed, at room temperature
  • 1tablespoon lemon zest
  • 3 to 4cups shredded cooked chicken (from about 1 rotisserie chicken)
  • 1 to 2cups lightly crushed pita chips
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
  • 8 to 10ounces salad greens, such as mature spinach, arugula or watercress
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

454 calories; 24 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 900 milligrams sodium

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.

Powered by

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.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
705 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

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.

Ethel

I used non-fat Greek yogurt and thinned it out with skimmed milk - it was perfect. I poached sliced chicken breasts for just a few minutes and then shredded them. This was a hit!

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.

Kayla

This was incredible. I added mint, radicchio and toasted breadcrumbs, and it was a massive success!

Laurie H.

This is a great summer salad. Changes I made: Used 3 nectarines (because the fourth went bad) and 1 lemon and Penzey's freeze-dried shallots. Cut the nectarines in bite-size pieces and then added the juice and zest of the lemon to the nectarines and the tablespoon of shallots. Added a glug of olive oil. For the goat cheese I used half sour cream, half goat cheese and a few spoonfuls of water to loosen things up. Next time I'll probably add two more nectarines, maybe even three.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.