It’s hot, it’s dry and all we feel like eating is something cool and refreshing like this chicken cantaloupe salad. There’s nothing more refreshing than cold, sweet melon. My favorite way to eat cantaloupe is to get it really cold, cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds, add a touch of salt, and eat it right out of the rind. However, there are so many other ways to eat cantaloupe.
One of my favorite cantaloupe dishes is to make a salad with chicken, turkey, crab or crawfish (aka crayfish, crawdads), and use a thick slice of cantaloupe as the bowl. This is my summer chicken salad recipe served in a cantaloupe ring. It’s best if the cantaloupe is really cold, but the salad can be cold to room temperature.
A sweet and savory lunch consisting of a light chicken salad served within a ring of cantaloupe. Easy to make and quite enjoyable to eat.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information.
- 2 cups cooked chicken meat*, shredded
- 1 Tbsp. onion, minced
- ½ cup Jicama or cucumber, finely chopped
- ¼ cup sweet bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 ½ Tbsp. chopped pecans, lightly toasted*
- 1 Tbsp. crystallized ginger*, minced
- 1 tsp. fresh basil, minced
- 1 tsp. fresh mint, minced
- 4 – ½” thick rounds of cantaloupe*, seeds and rinds removed
- Sea salt
- Paprika
- 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise*
- 1 Tbsp. orange juice concentrate or 1 ½ Tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. vinegar from a jar of pickled chile peppers* (optional)
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Set aside.
- In a larger bowl, mix together the top 8 ingredients (everything but the cantaloupe, sea salt, and paprika).
Add the dressing and toss to combine.
- To prepare the cantaloupe slices, cut a whole cantaloupe in half crosswise. Cut two 1/2” pieces from the open end of each half. Remove the seeds and rind.
- Place one slice of cantaloupe on each of 4 plates. Lightly salt each ring with sea salt.
- Divide the salad between the 4 plates by filling the hole in the center of each piece of cantaloupe and creating a round of salad on top. Sprinkle with paprika and serve.
Chicken – Use 2 cans of drained white chicken meat or 2 cups cooked leftover chicken. If you use canned, add the broth to a soup or use it to cook rice.
Crystallized Ginger – Don’t omit the crystallized ginger. It’s such a great complement to the chicken and the cantaloupe, and makes this salad a little different from a normal chicken salad.
Lightly toasted Pecans – Use the oven method or toast in a small hot skillet on the stovetop by shaking and flipping the pecans until lightly toasted.
Cantaloupe – This salad is also good with honeydew or any other fall melon.
Not much to add about this salad. It’s just a simple little salad that anyone can make. As with any recipe, the ingredients are flexible.
- I’ve made it with both jicama and cucumber and loved them both.
- Leftover roast chicken works GREAT and adds another dimension that canned chicken can’t.
- If you don’t have bell pepper, use celery.
- Walnuts or almonds can be used in place of the pecans.
- The herbs – mint, basil, cilantro or any combination of
For more delightful cantaloupe recipes, check out the ones below.
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I added some curry powder and mango chutney to the salad. This is a most delicious recipe.
Oh Rachel – thank you so very much for your comment!!! I’m do glad you liked it! I’m definitely trying the curry in it next time. I don’t have any mango chutney, but it sure sound good! Thanks!
What a fantastic use of melon for both the flavor and serving bowl! I love the idea and I can’t believe I’ve never had chicken salad like this before. In fact, now I specifically want to try chicken salad with cantaloupe just to experience the flavor… Thanks for the inspiration, MJ!
Thanks so much Mark! The first time I made this, I have to admit that I was quite surprised at how well the chicken and the cantaloupe complemented each other. It’s one of our favorite lunches during the early fall.
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Hi MJ, this looks so delicious, and I love how you’ve served it in the cantaloupe! I have chosen it as one of my 3 featured salads for this week. Thanks for linking up and I hope to see you again soon!
Deb and Sally – Thanks for stopping by! I hope you give this a try. It’s one of our favorites!
This looks fantastic! I will have to give it a try! 😀
How pretty! The cantalope makes a great container for the salad! I’ll have to try it out soon.
Hey, MJ! If you substitute crawfish, do you make any changes to the rest of the recipe? The crawfish idea intrigues me …
Yes my dear editor and taster – you do make changes. I’ll add it to the list of recipes I’m sending you this weekend.
Love cantalope and filling it with a great chicken salad is genious!
Ruth and KC – Thanks for your comments and for stopping by!
This looks lovely – perfect for summer! Ripe melon can’t be beaten!
O.K. guys – now I HAVE to try cantaloupe and ice cream. Never had it, never heard of it, but it does sound good – healthy or not. We all must take a plunge once in a while!
This looks so refreshing. I also was a huge fan of canteloupe and ice cream, now it is a more healthy look.
This looks so refreshing. Though, truth be told, when I was a kid, my fave thing to eat on a hot day was cantaloupe filled with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. OK, chicken salad is definitely more healthful than that. LOL
Thank you all for your comments and for dropping by!
What a lovely healthy meal!
Very first time to see cantaloupe and chicken in one salad! Very creative and looks beautiful. I love it, especially the dressing!
This is really a unique and tasty salad. I never would have thought of using a round of cantaloupe, but it really sounds like a refreshing dish. Awesome summer salad-well done!
Thanks for the comments Tina!
As a huge fan of cantaloupe, I am completely enamored with this recipe! How creative! I am excited to follow your blog! 🙂 Kristina
Thanks Kristina! I hope you try and enjoy it as much as we do.