My kids are mad for pomegranate seeds. Kenya and Chloe will sit and eat spoonful after spoonful of this vitamin and antioxidant rich fruit until they’re blue in the face. The first time Kenya tried pomegranate seeds he was just over a year old and my husband and I watched intently as his little fingers eagerly picked up the ruby red seeds one by one and guided them into his mouth, staining both his digits and lips in the process a bright red. Four years later Kenya, still loves pomegranate seeds and would eat them at every meal if given the opportunity. Chloe is no different, she actually had a full on tantrum once when she spotted a bowl of them in our fridge that I was saving for later.
The sweet seeds add great texture and flavor to all sorts of recipes. As you know, I adore “one-pot dishes” for their ease and convenience they offer busy moms and this Chicken, Orzo & Pomegranate Salad is no exception. This dish can be served at lunch or dinner but looks special no matter when you serve it, the bright flecks of crimson pomegranate punctuating each bite. Healthy and light, it’s great to keep in the fridge for a night you have no time to prepare dinner or when guests pop by for an unexpected visit!
Chicken, Orzo & Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Lb chicken breast, bone-in*
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tsp kosher salt
- 2 Sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 Cups water
- 1 16 ounce box orzo
- 1 Cup or seeds of 1 pomegranate
- 1/4 Cup fresh cilantro, mint OR basil, chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 Tsp kosher salt
[…] Chicken, Orzo, Pomegranate “Salad” […]
[…] Chicken, Orzo, and Pomegranate Salad from Weelicious […]
Forgot to mention that I replaced the pomegranate seeds with cranberries. Was afraid my younger one wouldn’t be able to chew them properly. Cranberries worked great!
This was so yummy, but my kids didn’t like the vinegar. Luckily I left some shredded chicken on the side. I cooked up some more orzo and tossed with cranberries and olive oil for them. They ate it up! The chicken came out great and my 3 year old wouldn’t stop picking on it as I was shredding. She loved it and just admitted that she took some off of the counter when I went to the bathroom. Sneak! 🙂
[…] Chicken, pomegranate & orzo salad If you don’t make this for your school party, it could make a tasty dish for home. I plan on trying it with whole wheat orzo. […]
Hmm I think quinoa would be great!
Would this recipe work if I substituted quinoa or brown rice for the orzo? Any thoughts?
I love this website!
[…] ~ fresh pomegranates to make one of my favorite salads […]
Hi, I have the same question about the pomegranate seeds as well. Are they supposed to have the hard seeds in the center and is it safe to swallow even for a 1-year-old? They don’t seem smooth enough…Please advise. Thanks and we love your recipes!
I was confused about the seeds as well. Do you eat the whole thing? My husband and I would spit out the seeds cus we were not sure if we were suppose to swallow the whole thing 😉
This looks great ! One questions…opened my first ever pomegranate today. The seeds are yummy but have that hard center and worried about giving them to my kids. Is this hard center normal? Am I better off buying packaged ones? Thanks for your help!
looks like i’ll be making this recipe with a twist! we only have pomegranate juice and pomegranate craisins on island! 🙂
Our entire family loved this recipe… from the 10 month old to the 37 year old. Thank you for posting recipes that we can all enjoy together! It was a stress-free dinner at our house tonight.
I just made something similar with quinoa, dried cranberries, chopped apples, left over chicken, and cinnamon. This is going to be next on the list!
My little one really loved pomegranates last year and I totally forgot about them this year until I read this post. Thanks for the reminder and the yummy recipe!
That Yummy one as I like chicken and pomegranate lot but never tried together..
Thanks for this new delicious combination.
Great recipe! We caught a cooking show episode yesterday where pomegranate seeds were used as part of a super antioxidant fruit salad! Yummo!