Fresh Orange Pomegranate Salad

This orange pomegranate salad is the perfect winter salad. A light citrus salad with pomegranate seeds & an array of vegetables. The ultimate seasonal salad.

Pair with a protein like chicken and it’s is the perfect solution to cleaning up your diet a bit after all the holiday indulgences. And it’s orange and pomegranate season right now, when both fruits are at peak ripeness and bursting with sweetness.

Just what my body is craving after a month long triathlon of wine, baked goods, and carby comfort foods. The chicken is marinated & grilled in a homemade spicy honey apple cider vinegar dressing. Drizzle a bit of honey mustard vinaigrette over the salad for a perfect complement to this dish.

I don’t want to give you the wrong impression though. I’m still eating all the carbs and sugary sweets. Enough to fill a gladiator colosseum, but it’s nice to eat this rainbow rather than a bag of skittles for a change. I could feel my body cells thanking me after the first bite.

Don’t let the pomegranate intimidate you. Most people probably would say you just slice it in half and beat on the skin with a wooden spoon to loosen the arils. I never found this method to work for me. Here is how I deconstruct a pomegranate to get maximum arils bursting in your mouth instead of all over your shirt.

Lets move on to the recipe & directions. You can find a printable recipe at the bottom of this post.

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Salad Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag of spring mix lettuce
• 1/2 bag of leaf lettuce
• handful of carrot sticks
• large sliced radish
• half a yellow sweet pepper chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup sliced english cucumber
• 1 cup pomegranate arils
• 1 cup sliced fresh oranges
• 3-4 thinly sliced chicken boneless chicken breasts
• Optional*** 1/2 cup toasted almonds

Salad Directions:

The salad can be pre-made, assembled, and placed in the fridge covered while the chicken is marinating. Use half a bag of each lettuce. If using fresh lettuce or lettuce of your choice, make sure it is washed and dried.  Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl.Then, simply layer your fruits and vegetables on top of the lettuce side by side if you want the presentation below. You can mix the salad right before serving and give each person their own chicken breast if you don’t want it all crammed on top of the salad.

Preheat oven to 300 and toast almonds on a sheet pan for 5 minutes or until lightly brown and aromatic. Cool and place in an air tight container until ready for use.

For the Spicy Honey Orange Chicken Marinade you will need:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup orange honey (you can just use regular honey but try to make it organic if possible)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• One whole orange zest
• Juice of half a fresh orange (can substitute about 1/4 cup orange juice if needed)
• 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a mini food processor or small blender and mix well. Wash and dry 3-4 thin sliced boneless chicken breasts and place in a zip loc bag. Pour marinade over chicken, seal bag, and place in refrigerator for at least an hour. If you want optimal taste leave chicken in marinade for 3-4 hours.

When ready grill the chicken breasts for 3 minutes each side on high heat. You can use something like a countertop grill or a reversible cast iron grill/griddle which is what I use in a pinch. We live in Florida where it’s always grilling season though.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a jar or cruet add all the ingredients. Shake and set aside. Drizzle over salad right before serving.

Sprinkle some of those toasted almonds over the salad before serving. They add some crunch and texture to the salad. I don’t skimp on these that’s for sure. I like to look at it as extra protein.

Pleas let me know if you tried this salad and if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my Instagram account for more great recipes on my stories. You can get the printable recipe below. Happy New Year everyone! Please stay tuned for more great recipes and lifestyle article coming your way this 2020.

Printable Recipe: