Welcome September! It's time for cooler weather, bon fires, and National Chicken Month! This is celebrated every Saturday in September to boost the sales of chicken after the grilling months of summer. You can enjoy chicken baked, or fried, or grilled or cooked and shredded up for this Chicken and Fruit Salad! Be sure to always cook your chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees to ensure that it's safe to eat. Enjoy this for an easy lunch, supper or after school snack. Thanks to NCEFNEP.org for this recipe!

Chicken and Fruit Salad

• 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
• 1 (20 – ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained well
• 1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, in 100% fruit juice, drained
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup halved seedless grapes
• 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 large lettuce leaves

1. in a large bowl, mix gently chicken, pineapple chunks, oranges, celery, and grapes.
2. In a separate bowl, mix low-fat mayonnaise and black pepper.
3. Gently stir mayonnaise into chicken mixture,
4. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator.
5. To serve, scoop 2/3 cup of chicken salad onto a lettuce leaf.