I’ve got a lunch recipe on the lighter side that you can feel good about eating – Mayo-Free Honey, Pomegranate, Pecan Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps! I’ve had the combo of chopped chicken tossed with sweet-tart pomegranate seeds, crispy green onions, and buttery pecans smothered in a cool and creamy honey-Dijon-spiked Greek yogurt dressing, stuffed into fresh lettuce leaves, on my mind for months now — its even better on the plate then in my mind!
Sweet and tart, creamy and crunchy, fresh and light – this chicken salad is awesome. Better yet, the chicken salad mix stays good for 3-4 days so you can enjoy lettuce wraps for lunch all week long. I’m a firm believer in eating with our eyes first, and this colorful combination of red and green is so inviting. Packed with protein and satisfying flavors – you’ve got to give this recipe a try!
Start by cooking 1 large chicken breast (this recipe will serve 1-2 but is easily scalable to feed more.) You could use fresh or leftover sauted, grilled, or rotisserie chicken, though I almost always prefer poaching chicken for chicken salad. All you’ll need to do is drop the chicken into a pot of boiling, salted water for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. When it’s cool enough to handle, chop it up!
Meanwhile, make the mayo-free dressing for the chicken salad. I don’t have a huge aversion to mayonnaise, I just really like this dressing made with cool and creamy Greek yogurt accented with a drizzle of honey. Add 4oz plain Greek yogurt, 2-1/2 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and plenty of salt and pepper to a large bowl then mix to combine.
Next get the other ingredients ready, starting with 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds or arils. Pomegranate seeds are like little culinary jewels vacuum-packed with sweet-tart juice, and are higher in antioxidants than red wine and green tea. Love them! Here’s how to seed a pomegranate yourself. Start by picking a pomegranate with a deep red hue that’s largely unblemished (though a few scuff marks are fine,) and is heavy for its size. Pick a few up and you’ll be able to tell which ones are heavier than others. Wash the pomegranate then use a sharp knife to cut halfway down the fruit through the blossom end. Tuck your thumbs inside the cut then pry the two halves apart. I like this partial cut method vs cutting all the way through as it preserves more seeds and prevents the juice from seeping out everywhere. (FYI don’t wear white when handling pomegranates as the juice can stain!)
Partially cut each half using the same method to create quarters.
Now it’s time to get all those juicy seeds out! There are a few popular methods for de-seeding a pomegranate, but the following is my tried and true method which produces zero mess and only takes about 5 minutes total. Fill a large bowl with cold water then submerge one of the pomegranate quarters inside and use your fingers to pop the seeds out (they should loosen easily.) Do the same with the remaining three quarters then scoop out any pith that rises to the top.
Give the seeds a good rinse while picking out any pieces of pith that you might have missed, then you’re set!
Each medium-sized pomegranate should yield about 1-1/2 cups pomegranate seeds. They are FABULOUS when sprinkled onto salads, oatmeal, yogurt, or just popped like skittles.
For this recipe they’re combined with a cast of savory characters including the aforementioned chicken plus 1/4 cup pecans halves that have been roughly chopped, and 1 chopped green onion.
Add the ingredients to the honey-Greek yogurt dressing then mix until everything is well coated.
Finally, prep the lettuce wraps. I adore butterhead lettuce for wraps because each leaf is the perfect size for a 3-4 bite handheld lettuce wrap. That said, if you can’t find this type of lettuce around you, use regular iceberg, Boston bibb, or even endive instead.
Scoop the chicken salad onto the lettuce leaves, garnish with a few fresh pomegranate seeds, then enjoy!
Honey, Pomegranate, Pecan Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps are TOTAL feel good food! Chicken salad is such a popular lunch-time staple but I really thing the addition of juicy pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of honey gives this version a little somethin’ somethin’ over other versions. Enjoy!
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