Chicken and Pomegranate Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing
Vibrant and nutritious, this chicken and pomegranate salad is a perfect blend of fresh greens, juicy pomegranate arils, tender chicken, crunchy nuts, all tied together with a tangy dressing. It’s packed with bold flavors, wholesome ingredients, and a mix of textures that make every bite irresistible. Whether you’re meal prepping for the week or serving it as a balanced weeknight dinner, this salad delivers a winning combo of flavor, nutrition and convenience.
Erica’s Thoughts
Hi hello, welcome back to cook once eat twice! The series where I’m using the same recipe and turning it into multiple meals. Yesterday, we made this juicy meal prep chicken and today we are putting our prep to use in this beautifully balanced entrée salad.
When I make a salad I want it to have all the things:
- lots of nutrient-dense greens
- a good source of lean protein
- some sort of grain or carboyhydrate
- any veggies
- some sort of nut/fruit/cheese combo
- and of course, a delicious dressing
Good news folks, we’re covering all of those bases in this chicken and pomegranate salad. Best part is, this salad is very versatile and you can customize per your preference. Don’t have a pomegranate? Use apples or dried cranberries. Don’t live by a Trader Joe’s so you can’t snag of bag of these yummy sesame cashews? No worries, use roasted almonds or candied walnuts. Didn’t whip up a batch of meal prep chicken? Use any leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken. We’ve got options.
I’m quite late to the mason jar salad trend but I have to say, it’s popular for a reason. So convenient, a great way to store the salad so it doesn’t get soggy and so pretty! You can serve this salad in a bowl or prep it in mason jars, perhaps depending on if you’re serving this for dinner or prepping it for lunch. Either way, this hearty salad is a great addition to your winter meal rotation!
What You’ll Need to Make Chicken and Pomegranate Salad
Salad
Spinach: baby spinach forms the hearty, nutrient-packed base of the salad.
Arugula: arugula adds a peppery bite that complements the spinach.
Chicken breast: I highly recommend whipping up this easy sheet pan chicken breast. You could also use a rotisserie chicken.
Quinoa: although technically a seed, quinoa is wildly considered a high-protein whole grain. It adds fiber, plant-based protein and complex carbohydrates to this salad. You can find it in the rice/grains aisle at the grocery store.
Cucumber: I love using the smaller Persian cucumbers because they are crunchy and not as watery.
Sesame cashews or candied walnuts: I am using the honey sesame cashews from Trader Joe’s but you can use any nut you enjoy. Plain, roasted nuts work great but a slightly candied or flavored nut just makes things a little more fun.
Pomegranate arils: you can buy a whole pomegranate or find the arils in the produce section. Wonderful pomegranates add a pop of juicy sweetness and crunch that is so good!
Feta cheese: I always recommend buying a block of feta and crumbling it yourself, the flavor is SO much better, trust me. You could also use sharp white cheddar, Parmesan or goat cheese.
Dressing
Tahini: tahini is a seed butter made from ground sesame seeds. It makes this dressing creamy and thicker than a traditional vinaigrette. You can find tahini in the natural foods aisle or in the peanut butter aisle with the other nut butters at the grocery store.
Orange juice: use freshly squeezed or 100% orange juice from the store- either works!
Lemon juice: grab a whole lemon because you’ll need both the zest and juice.
Honey: honey provides the balance and compliments the citrus and tahini.
Olive oil: extra virgin olive oil is a staple in my dressing recipes because it is full of heart-healthy fats and makes the dressing silky and luscious.
Salt and pepper: these seasoning pillars help lift the overall flavor. I use kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
How to Make Chicken and Pomegranate Salad
Quinoa: Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine mesh sieve to remove any bitterness. Add the rinsed quinoa to the boiling water and let it simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until tender. Once cooked, drain the quinoa and return it to the hot saucepan. The residual heat will evaporate any excess moisture, leaving you with perfectly fluffy quinoa.
Dressing: In a small blender or food processor, combine tahini, orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, olive oil, salt, pepper, and warm water. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If needed, add a splash more of warm water to achieve your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can whisk ingredients together in a small bowl or shake them in a mason jar or salad shaker.
Salad: To assemble the salad, start by tossing the spinach and arugula together in a large bowl. Top with cubed or shredded chicken, cooked quinoa, diced cucumber, cashews, fresh pomegranate arils, and crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle with the dressing, toss gently to combine, and enjoy!
Mason Jar Salads
For meal prep, layer the salad ingredients in mason jars in the following order: dressing, chicken, quinoa, pomegranate arils, cucumber, cashews, feta, and greens. Be mindful of placing the quinoa directly on top of the dressing, as it will absorb it all. If you’re skipping the chicken, you may want to adjust the layering to prevent sogginess. When ready to serve, dump the jar’s contents into a bowl, toss lightly, and enjoy. For an extra touch, add a tiny splash of water to the bottom of the jar to get every last bit of the dressing.
Variation ideas
- More veggies: you can always add extra vegetables! Try thinly sliced red onions, roasted sweet potatoes and/or diced red bell pepper.
- Pomegranate dressing: to double down on pomegranate flavor, use this pomegranate vinaigrette!
- Switch up the greens: try baby kale, spring mix or red leaf lettuce.
- Whole grains: this salad would be yummy with farro, brown rice or wild rice if you didn’t have quinoa.
FAQs
They are a Trader Joe’s product. Candied walnuts or pecans, roasted almonds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds would be good alternatives.
Chopped apple, dried cranberries, tangerine slices or dried cherries.
Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I like to add the teensiest splash of water and swirl it around so I get every last drop of dressing!
Yes! I think the easiest way is following the mason jar method shown or you can prep all of the components and store them separately until ready to serve.
I score the outside of the pomegranate into quarters. Then I fill a large bowl with cold water and submerge the pomegranate under the water while I work the arils out. The pith bits will float to the top while the arils sink to the bottom. The water method prevents the pomegranate from splashing juice everywhere.
If you enjoy this pomegranate chicken salad recipe, you’ll love these other salads:
Arugula salad with burrata and roasted squash
Greek spinach salad with fried feta
And if you enjoy making your own salad dressings check out:
Even though we’re in the dead of January, winter salads can be just as fresh and flavorful as summer ones! It’s the time of year to get all of the health benefits we can from the fruits and veggies in season now.
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Chicken and Pomegranate Salad with Citrus Tahini Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 salads 1x
- Category: Salads
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy dinner or satisfying lunch, this chicken and pomegranate salad is crunchy, juicy, tangy, nutty and wrapped up in a citrusy dressing hug.
Ingredients
Salads
- 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 cups arugula
- 2 1/2 cups cubed or shredded chicken breast, about 12oz cooked chicken breast
- 2/3 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 cup sesame cashews or candied walnuts
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 4oz feta cheese, crumbled
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
- 2–3 tablespoons warm water
Instructions
- Quinoa: bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil. In a fine mesh sieve, rinse the quinoa well. Add the quinoa to the boiling water and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until the quinoa is tender. Drain the quinoa and return it to the hot pot. The heat from the pan helps evaporate any leftover moisture, resulting in perfectly fluffy quinoa.
- Dressing: in a small blender or food processor combine the 2 tablespoons tahini, 3 tablespoons orange juice, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 ½ tablespoons honey, ⅓ cup olive oil, ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons warm water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add another splash of warm water, if desired, until your desired consistency is reached. Alternatively, you can whisk or shake the dressing together.
- Salad: assemble salads by tossing together the spinach and arugula and topping with cubed (or shredded) chicken, quinoa, cucumber, cashews, pomegranate arils and feta cheese. Drizzle with dressing, toss to combine and DIG IN!
Notes
Mason jars: If you meal prep these salads in mason jars layer in the ingredients as follows: dressing, chicken, quinoa, pomegranate arils, cucumber, cashews, feta, greens. Each jar should have 3oz cooked chicken, 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, 1/4 cup cashews, 1/4 cup pomegranate arils, 1oz feta and 2 tablespoons dressing. If you put the quinoa right on top of the dressing it will soak it all up, so beware of that, especially if you are omiting the chicken. To serve, simply dump the jar contents into a bowl, give a little toss and enjoy! I like to add the tiniest splash of water to the bottom of the jar just to get every last morsel of dressing.
Refer to the above blog post for process photos, expert tips and answers to frequently asked questions.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
- Calories: 717
- Sugar: 17.7 g
- Sodium: 335.2 mg
- Fat: 43.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 50.5 g
- Fiber: 6.3 g
- Protein: 36.9 g
- Cholesterol: 87.3 mg
Loved it! Flavorful and bright
Is there another option if you can’t get your hands on tahini?
You could use Greek yogurt or mayo OR just leave the tahini out and have it be a citrus vinaigrette instead of a creamier dressing.