Pomegranate is one thing I enjoy a lot and it’s so festive. It gives a holiday look to everything it’s on and I find it irresistible! So the other day I improvised a bit and put together a not so difficult chicken salad. I used leftover roast chicken, so that’s a plus. But you can use ham or turkey if you prefer. I also added some chorizo that gave it a nice kick.
To make the chicken salad
To make the vinaigrette
In a bowl put the mustard and 3-4 tbsps of the olive oil. Mix really well until the two ingredients are nicely combined. Thereafter, you add the rest of the olive oil and mix again. Finally, add the balsamic vinegar, sesame oil and orange juice and give it a last mix. Depending on the type of olive oil you are using the vinaigrette will be less or more bitter. If it’s too bitter, you can balance it out with more orange juice. Personally, I like it bitter because it gives a nice taste to the salad when poured. Keep in mind that it will dilute a lot when mixed in the salad, therefore the taste will be weaker.
Chicken salad with pasta and pomegranate
I made this chicken salad with green, leftover chicken, pomegranate and pasta the other day improvising a bit I admit. But it came out really good and I wanted to share it with you! It is perfect to complete your holiday table. You can also use ham or turkey instead of chicken.
- 150 g (5.3 oz) dry pasta ((uncooked))
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) chicken meat, shredded ((can also use ham or turkey))
- 200 g (7 oz) lettuce, roughly chopped ((about 1 small lettuce head))
- 10 brussel sprouts, thinly sliced
- 80 g (abt 3 oz) chorizo, sliced
- 1 pomegranate, seeded
For the vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 tsp mustard
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/3 cup orange juice
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Firstly boil the pasta according to packet instructions, dry in a colander and set aside.
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Secondly chop the lettuce into chunky pieces. Thinly slice the brussel sprouts, shred the chicken meat and slice up the chorizo.
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If you have whole pomegranates, slice of the two edges first. Then peel off the skin as if you were peeling clementines then the pomegranate will come apart in pieces. You can deseed it easily. Alternatively you can buy pomegranate seeds from the store.
To make the vinaigrette
-
In a bowl put the mustard and 3-4 tbsps of the olive oil. Mix really well until the two ingredients are nicely combined.
-
Thereafter, you add the rest of the olive oil and mix again. Finally, add the balsamic vinegar, sesame oil and orange juice and give it a last mix.
Depending on the type of olive oil you are using the vinaigrette will be less or more bitter. If it’s too bitter, you can balance it out with more orange juice. Keep in mind that it will dilute a lot when mixed in the salad, therefore the taste will be weaker.