This Persimmon Pomegranate Chicken Salad is the perfect winter salad for your holiday feast

The story of my salad begins in 2009. I wasn’t too familiar with persimmons at the time.  I only knew how to do one thing with them. I cooked down those bright colored slices with sugar and magically transformed them into an empanada filling. I knew this fruit had so much more potential and I thought long and hard of different ways to utilize them as I passed them by in the produce section of the grocery store.

It wasn’t until I attended my monthly book club meeting that one of the ladies took a tray filled with crostini slices topped with a thin slice of persimmon, a few blue cheese crumbles and a drizzle of honey.  I loved this appetizer so much because the flavor was so vibrant and so perfect together.

The following year, I received a giant basket of persimmons as a holiday gift from my former boss.  I made my beloved empanadas and the crostinis I had loved so much.  I still had so many persimmons left over.  What else could I do with them?  The salty and tangy combination of blue cheese and the delicately sweet flavor of the persimmon was so great in the crostini appetizer that I had to use those two ingredients in my next persimmon recipe. This fresh, green, salad came to mind.

Related recipe: Mediterranean Farro Salad

I made it year after year as soon as the persimmon and pomegranate season came along. I made different dressings for it.  Sometimes creamy, sometimes tangy. My favorite was a basic balsamic vinaigrette. I used this salad for elegant events.  I even served it at a wine tasting event I helped cater.  Everyone loved it! This salad has definitely evolved and this holiday season I’m continuing my salad tradition.

If you need a salad for this year’s holiday dinner spread, this is the salad to make. It’s great as a starter or as a full on meal.

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Persimmon Pomegranate Chicken Salad

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  • Author: Ericka Sanchez
  • Yield: Serves 6-8

Description

This winter salad will not disappoint.  Serve it with a simple vinaigrette to combine the medley of flavors everyone will love.


Ingredients

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

10 cups (packed) baby arugula

3 persimmons, sliced, divided

1 cup pomegranate arils

½ cup raw pecans, chopped

1 cup roasted chicken breast, chopped


Instructions

Combine honey, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic and balsamic vinegar in a medium bowl. Add olive oil and whisk until emulsified. Set aside.

 

Arrange arugula, slices from 2 persimmons, ¾ cup pomegranate arils,  blue cheese, pecans and chicken in a large salad bowl.  Toss with dressing. Store remaining dressing refrigerated in a jar with lid.