Chicken can be made so many ways, it’s no wonder that it’s a family favorite. In my house we’ve got a special fondness for chicken baked with fruit as the pairing really goes together. This baked chicken peach salad not only gets a hit of sweetness from the peaches, but the creamy sauce that goes with has a little Parmesan and some lemon juice. And, there’s plenty of crunch thanks to a generous layer of crispy chow mien noodles on top. It’s utter perfection for people who love a crispy, sweet, savory chicken dish.

To get started you’ll need to sauté some chicken breasts or buy the precooked kind. You’ll need 4 cups of cooked and cubed chicken for this recipe, which is about 4 small chicken breasts. Then it’s time to make the sauce by combining mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and onion powder.

For this recipe you’ll 2 15-ounce cans of peaches, drained. Or use the same amount of drained mandarin oranges. You can use 4 fresh peaches or nectarines instead if you like, too. This dish works with any of these fruits beautifully.

As for the veggies you’ll need plenty of celery stalks and green onions as well. The celery gives the dish more crunch and the green onions are the perfect counterpart to the sauce and the fruit. It might sound all over the place- especially when you bake this salad- but trust me this recipe really comes together.

Combine all the ingredients except for the noodles and pour them into a casserole dish. Then top with the noodles and bake for 20-25 minutes. When this comes out of the oven you’re left with a lovely main dish that has a little bit of everything. Serve with some rice and a vegetable side and your dinner is complete.

When you take a bite of this unique baked salad-casserole you’ll understand just how all the flavors and textures accompany each other. Plus, since the noodles remain in one layer at the top they stay nice and crunchy until the very end.