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
This winter salad will not disappoint. Serve it with a simple vinaigrette to combine the medley of flavors everyone will love.
- Yield: Serves 6-8
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.
