Good Taste: Roasted Chicken (or leftover turkey) Salad

I love this salad, because, as far as salads go, it's kind of cozy for the winter months. And this will be a very good next home for the leftover turkey, if there is any. Our leftovers last maybe 24 hours after the big meal. This makes quite a bit, so I often cut the recipe in half.

1 cup pecan halves (about 3 ounces), broken in half lengthwise

1 whole roasted chicken (about three pounds), skin removed

8 scallions, white and light-green parts only, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, strings removed and thinly sliced

2 Fuji apples, cored and sliced into bite-size pieces

5 tablespoons golden or dark raisins

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Sour Cream Dressing (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Toast in oven until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Remove from pan; let cool completely.  [this step may seem unnecessary, but it really does make the pecans taste fancy.  It's worth it!]

2. Pull chicken from the bone; discard bones, and cut meat into 3/4-inch pieces.  Transfer to a medium bolw; add scallions, celery, apples, raisins, and oregano.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add dressing; toss to combine.  Chill, covered, until ready to serve.  

Sour Cream Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

1/4 cup cider vinegar

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use, up to 4 days.