Do you ever get the urge to change things up? That’s how I felt when working on this Pomegranate, Apple, Pecan Chicken Salad recipe. I love a good chicken salad – I am from the South, after all. But for this one, I wanted colder-weather flavors, an extra kick, some sweetness, and a little crunch. The pomegranates offer a dose of healthy antioxidants, along with a crispness and beautiful punch of color. The apples and orange juice lend a fresh sweetness, and the celery and pecans are perfectly crunchy in a chicken salad. I also used avocado mayonnaise, which is a much healthier alternative to conventional mayonnaise. Curry powder is my not-so-secret chicken salad ingredient, and brings together the apple and the chicken so well.
I enjoyed this chicken salad over arugula, along with a few extra apple slices and rice crackers. The boys had it on sandwiches, and I think it would be delicious on some fresh sourdough bread. It could also be served as an appetizer. Serve on thin crostini or a cracker, with a thin apple slice and some fresh tiny thyme leaves.
If you’re intimidated by a whole pomegranate, I promise that retrieving the arils (seeds) is not as tricky as it appears. I like to gently slice the pomegranate in half with a paring knife. Then submerge the entire fruit in a bowl of water. Keeping it under water, gently separate the flesh of the fruit from the seeds. Drain the water and remove the extra bits of flesh and you’ll have plenty of pomegranate seeds to enjoy!
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- 2 chicken breasts
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 1/2 apple diced (Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady or similar variety)
- 1 cup pecans toasted and chopped
- 1 pomegranate seeds only
- 3/4 cup avocado mayonnaise (or organic or homemade)
- 1/2-3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 orange juiced
- pinch black pepper
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 375. Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, dried thyme, and curry powder. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (time will vary, depending on the size of the chicken breasts). This also works will with bone-in chicken.
- Allow the chicken to cool, then tear or cut into small pieces.
- In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, apple, pomegranate seeds, and the pecans.
- In a smaller bowl, mix the avocado mayonnaise, salt, curry powder, sugar, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, and black pepper. Pour the mixture over the salad components and toss.
- This is best if it sits for at least one hour in the refrigerator, but it can be served immediately.
- Serve on toasted sourdough bread, or over arugula or mixed greens. This could also work well on crostini for an appetizer - garnish with a thin apple slice and a few fresh thyme leaves.
YUM! Making this asap!