This salad comes together pretty quickly and it’s perfect as a light dinner or hearty lunch. It’s a great way to use some leftover chicken and tossed with crunchy kale, freekeh and zingy pomegranate seeds, it’s fresh and delicious.
This is also the kind of salad that can be made completely in advance – and it will improve the longer it sits in the fridge. The kale will get more tender and the flavours will meld – so make it the night before and have it for lunch! Or you can have a quick dinner ready on a busy weeknight.
How to Make a Chicken Pomagranate Salad
When you’re using raw kale, you need to massage it and let it sit for a bit before eating.
This helps break down the fibres and tenderise the leaves, which can be pretty tough otherwise. It’s the same step I do in my kale & butternut salad, for instance.
All you need to do is drizzle your kale with a bit of olive oil and season with some salt.
Use your hands to massage the oil into the kale leaves – you’ll notice them turn darker and reduce in size a bit. Now just set this aside for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
Use this time to cook your freekeh. This is easy, all you need to do is add the grains to a small pot, cover with water, cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat and allow to simmer until the freekeh is tender – about 20-30 minutes.
Drain the freekeh and set it aside.
Now is the time I also like to toast my pine nuts. You can skip this step, but it adds so much more flavour when you toast them and it’s so easy that I really urge you not to.
Add your pine nuts to a rimmed baking tray and then move to a 180°C/350°F for about 5 minutes. Make sure you set a timer, because they can burn very quickly. Once they’re golden and fragrant, pull them from the oven.
Now it’s time to toss your salad together! Along with the kale, freekeh and pine nuts, add in some shredded chicken, pomegranate seeds, sultanas (aka golden raisins), a sliced red onion, some crumbled feta cheese and chopped fresh parsley and coriander.
I like to drizzle the salad with my pomegranate molasses vinaigrette – it’s fruity and punchy and pairs very well with everything. Then toss everything to combine.
You can now go ahead and serve the salad immediately or you can transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for about 3 days – and it will just keep getting better!
Chicken, Kale & Pomegranate Salad with Feta & Freekeh
Ingredients
- 75 g (3 ½ cups) kale removed from stems & finely chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 80 g (½ cup) freekeh
- 30 g (¼ cup) pine nuts
- 250 g (2 cups) cooked chicken breast shredded
- 75 g (½ cup) pomegranate seeds from 1 pomegranate
- 30 g (¼ cup) pitted Kalamata olives roughly chopped
- 20 g (2 tbsp) sultanas/golden raisins
- 15 g (2 tbsp) feta crumbed
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 10 g (¼ cup) flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 5 g (¼ cup) fresh cilantro/coriander chopped
- Pomegranate molasses dressing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Add the kale to a large salad bowl and drizzle with the olive oil and season generously with salt. Use your hands to vigorously massage the salt into the kale. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the freekeh to a small pot. Cover with water and season generously with salt. Cover the pot and set it over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer until the freekeh is tender – about 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Add the pine nuts to a rimmed baking tray. Move to the oven and toast until golden and fragrant – about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Add the chicken, pomegranate seeds, olives, feta, onion, parsley, cilantro, cooked freekeh and toasted pine nuts to the bowl with the kale. Season generously with pepper, pour over the dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This salad is one of my favourites for a quick and crunchy lunch or dinner. I absolutely love the punchy flavours of pomegranate, and I’m sure you will too!
Are you after a great meal salad? Have any questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
