Pear Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Author: Michele Spring
Servings: 4
If you love autumn and winter fruits, this salad is for you. It’s jam-packed with sweet fruit paired with savory chicken and a creamy tangy vinaigrette. Paleo and AIP friendly.
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
For the salad:
- 3-4 Chicken Breasts (about 1.25 - 1.5 lb total)
- 1 tsp dried Oregano
- 1 tsp dried Thyme
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 Pears
- 2 cups seedless Red Grapes
- 1 cup Pomegranate Arils
- 8 cups Arugula (or leafy greens of choice)
- 1 batch Cinnamon Raisin Tigernut Granola
For the Creamy Balsamic dressing:
- 1/8 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 clove Garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp Coconut Milk
- pinch Dried Ginger
- pinch of Sea Salt
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil (or Avocado Oil)
If you don’t have the Cinnamon Raisin Tigernut Granola ready, go ahead and make that first. (It’s a great thing to always have on hand to throw on top of salads, bowls, and to snack on!)
For the salad, preheat the oven to 425 F. Put the chicken breasts in a baking dish and sprinkle both sides of each breast with the oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and sea salt.
Put in the oven for 18-22 minutes (less for smaller chicken breasts and longer for bigger ones) or until an instant-read thermometer says 165 F.
Meanwhile, slice the pears (no need to peel them), wash the grapes and remove from the stems, and deseed the pomegranates (if not using already pre-seeded arils).
Mix the salad dressing ingredients together and mix. I like to mix them in a small jar with a lid and shake, but you can also mix them in a small bowl and whisk them together.
Divide the greens between the plates, then divide the fruit between each plate, and add a large scoop of granola to each plate. When the chicken is done, slice thinly and divide evenly between the plates. Finally either drizzle each plate with the dressing or serve it on the side.
This is a pretty sweet salad so if you want some more savory elements, a diced red onion or diced avocado could also work really well, and if you can tolerate or have successfully reintroduced nuts and/or seeds, sunflower seeds or walnuts are great on it.
Calories: 597kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 39gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 505mgPotassium: 1150mgFiber: 6gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 1090IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 3mg
Course: Main, Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: AIP, autoimmune protocol, autumn, Paleo, salad, winter