I love having my girlfriends over for lunch once a month. We always have a good time catching up and enjoying some yummy food. Lunch works out well for us and it's actually a lot easier to prepare than some fancy dinner. Here are three very simple gourmet lunch ideas that are just perfect for entertaining.

 Chicken Salad Croissants

Buy one fresh croissant for each person. Make a batch of your favorite chicken salad. Cut each croissant in half, add some lettuce and tomato on each side, and then scoop some chicken salad on one side and close the sandwich. The lettuce will keep the croissant from getting soggy. Make sure you wash and pat your lettuce leaves dry before adding them.

Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad

Grill some marinated chicken breast the night before. Allow the chicken to cool, slice it and store it in the fridge until lunch the next day. Get a bag of baby spinach and arrange it on a plate for each guest. Add some cherry tomatoes and thin slices of red onion. You may also want to add some roasted red bell peppers (sliced). Top each bed of salad with a few slices of grilled chicken, then drizzle your favorite vinaigrette over the salad and serve. I like to serve this with some fresh French bread.

Waldorf Salad With Chicken Or Turkey

Make a batch of Waldorf salad using your favorite recipe. Then mix in or top it with some oven roasted chicken or turkey. If you are short on time, pick up a roasted chicken at the grocery store and slice some of the breast and lay it on top of each serving of the apple salad.

Author: Susanne Myers

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