Back in the days of The Bag Lady, when Mama was making bag lunches and we were delivering them, she would always make a chicken salad. For the fall and holiday season she would add walnuts and mandarin oranges to make a colorful, festive lunch with a delicious nutty-sweet appeal. This is Jamie’s version. It’s a hearty, packed-with-protein meal that looks as good as it tastes.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　2 cups diced cooked chicken

　　2/3 cup mayonnaise

　　2 hard-cooked large eggs, peeled and chopped

　　1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

　　1 celery rib, diced

　　1/4 cup sliced scallions (white and light green parts)

　　2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　4 cups (about 3 ounces) crisp greens, like romaine or Boston lettuce, for serving

　　One 15-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained, for garnish

　　

Step 1

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, mayonnaise, eggs, walnuts, celery, scallions, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and mix well.

　　

Step 2

Divide the greens equally among four to six plates. Serve the chicken over the greens and garnish with the orange segments.

　　

a bit more, y’all

Step 3

Mama likes to put halved seedless purple grapes in her salad—you can add them here for a little more fruit and a nice color contrast.

　　[The Deen Bros. Take It Easy](http://astore.amazon.com/epistore-20/detail/0345513266) by Jamie Deen, Bobby Deen, and Melissa Clark. Copyright © 2009 Jamie Deen, Bobby Deen, and Melissa Clark. Published by Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jamie and Bobby Deen grew up in Georgia—first in Albany and then in Savannah—and, like many Southerners, they have always considered cooking and food a big part of their lives. When their mother, Paula Deen, started a sandwich delivery business in 1989, the boys took charge of deliveries. As the business grew into The Lady restaurant, they continued to help. Then, in 1996, the trio opened The Lady & Sons Restaurant to resounding success. They haven't looked back since. They regularly appear on ABC's Good Morning America and had their own Food Network show, Road Tasted.Melissa Clark has written for The New York Times, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, and Real Simple and has collaborated on twenty-one books.