Make curried chicken salad even more special with a pomegranate vinaigrette and a sprinkling of bright red pomegranate arils. Top photo The Ambrosian. Bottom photo by Mary Morgan | IST
September 2007
Updated January 2017
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Recipe: Curried Chicken Salad
With Grapes, Pecans & Pomegranate Vinaigrette
We love curried chicken salad, and are always looking for variations on our favorite recipe with apples, almonds and raisins. Here’s one with grapes and pecans, plus pomegranates and a pomegranate vinaigrette for the salad greens. Don’t worry—there’s still curried mayonnaise binding the chicken, grapes and pecans. Thanks to Ann Kleinberg, author of the cookbook, Pomegranates.
The correct name for what most people refer to as the pomegranate “seed” is the aril, shown in the photo at the left. There is a hard seed inside the aril, but the red fruit of the pomegranate surrounds each seed. Some people eat the seeds along with the fruit, others don’t (as with blackberry seeds).
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved
- 2/3 cup seedless red or green grapes, halved
- 2/3 cup pecans, broken into quarters
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
(for fabulous mayonnaise, see our review of Lemonaise)
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup pomegranate arils (seeds), plus extra for garnish
- Red and green lettuce leaves
For The Pomegranate Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate syrup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Combine ingredients and shake or whisk well. Pour into a cruet or screw-top jar and reserve. Shake again before dressing the salad.
Directions
- In a medium-size saucepan bring chicken stock to a boil. Add chicken breasts, lower heat to simmer and poach for 6 minutes, or until done. When cool, cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes.
- Combine grapes and pecans with the mayonnaise and curry powder in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken and mix well. Toss in the pomegranate seeds, cover with plastic wrap and chill.
- When ready to serve, prepare a bed of red and green lettuce leaves. Drizzle the leaves with a bit of the vinaigrette; or leave plain and top with a scoop of chicken salad. Garnish with a few pomegranate seeds and serve.
Before pomegranates became a hot antioxidant food, it was a favorite delicacy in the Middle East. Enjoy a historical and cultural perspective of the pomegranate and its many culinary uses, including 70 recipes in Ann Kleinberg’s book, Pomegranates.
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Recipe and recipe image courtesy of Ann Kleinberg. © 2007. All rights reserved. Additional material
Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Other images are the copyright of their respective owners.
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