Recipe Doctor . Chicken salad gives lasting impression

I tasted this sandwich in April while visiting an upscale deli called Panino in Montecito, Calif. It was the most interesting chicken salad sandwich I think I’ve every had the pleasure to partake of, and I wasn’t going to rest until I was able to recreate the sandwich at home.

I used a quarter cup each of light mayonnaise and fat free sour cream flavored with a tablespoon of honey mustard and a teaspoon of ground curry to make the dressing. From there I mixed in some shredded skinless chicken breast, chopped apple, dried cranberries and toasted pine nuts.

Serve the chicken salad on top of some dark green lettuce in between two slices of multigrain bread or fill a wheat pita with it.

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich with Cranberries and Pine Nuts

3 cups shredded skinless chicken breast

3 tablespoons dried cranberries

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (toast by heating over medium heat in nonstick frying pan, stirring often, until golden)

1 cup diced or chopped apple (with peel)

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

1 tablespoon honey mustard

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 cups spring mix lettuce (or fresh spinach)

8 slices multi-grain or whole wheat bread, sourdough bread, or 4 whole-wheat pita pockets

Add chicken, cranberries, pine nuts, and chopped apple to a medium mixing bowl and toss to blend.

Add mayonnaise, sour cream, honey mustard, and curry powder to a 4-cup measuring cup and whisk until blended and smooth. Spoon dressing over the chicken apple mixture and toss to blend.

Assemble sandwich by placing about 1/2 cup of lettuce on the bottom slice of each sandwich then top with 1 cup of chicken mixture per sandwich. Place the top slice of bread on top and slice at a diagonal. If making pita sandwiches, cut each pita pocket in half and fill each half with 1/4 cup of lettuce and 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture.

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Approximate nutrition per sandwich: 500 calories, 13 grams fat (3 grams saturated, 27 percent fat calories), 43 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrate, 7 grams dietary fiber, 90 milligrams cholesterol, 615 milligrams sodium.

Weight Watchers points: 10