Winter Pear Salad

So hearty with so many feel-good ingredients! Lemon rosemary chicken, brussels sprouts, pear and a honey dijon dressing!

reasons to make winter pear salad

• Hearty, veggie-loaded holiday side dish. Need something to balance out all the starches like this creamy potato gratin and sweet potato casserole? This winter salad is a great way to get in your greens and vegetables during the holidays.
• Bright, fresh, vibrant flavors and colors. The pop of orange from the clementines and bright pink pomegranate seeds will have your guests reaching for the salad first!
• No oven space required. This recipe maximizes your kitchen space without using up the coveted oven space. Live in a warm climate city? Fire up the grill for the chicken!
• Can easily be made vegetarian or vegan. Skip the chicken, add more veggies, and swap the cheese for vegan blue cheese.

what is a winter salad

A winter salad is a seasonal salad packed with winter vegetables, citrus fruits and pomegranates. And with any salad, this can be made with a variety of dressings. I went with a honey dijon dressing for this one – perfectly sweet and tangy with every bite.

tips and tricks for success

• Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor.
• Massage the kale. Massaging the kale softens the leaves, making them more tender and flavorful.
• Use extra virgin olive oil. High quality extra virgin olive oil is ideal for salad dressings.
• Mix it up. Use your favorite cheese, swap out the candied walnuts for pecans or use apple in place of pear.

Winter Pear Salad

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 20 minutes minutes

Total: 40 minutes minutes

So hearty with so many feel-good ingredients! Lemon rosemary chicken, brussels sprouts, pear and a honey dijon dressing!

5 stars (8 ratings)

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Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 cups shredded kale
• 3 cups shredded brussels sprouts
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 bosc pear, sliced
• 3 clementines, peeled and segmented
• ½ cup pomegranate arils
• ¾ cup candied walnuts
• ½ cup crumbled blue cheese

Instructions

• In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat.* Working in batches, add chicken to the grill pan in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side.
• In a large bowl, combine kale, brussels sprouts and green onions; drizzle with remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, honey and Dijon. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with chicken, pear, clementines, pomegranate, walnuts and blue cheese.
• Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

*If you do not have a cast iron grill pan, you can also use a large cast iron skillet.

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