Don’t let cooking dinner get in the way of all the fun on Christmas day! This fresh Australian Christmas salad is perfect for busy families, with easy options for kids. Plus, with the luxury of cooking ahead, you’ll have more time for what’s important. Prosecco, anyone?
Cranberry Chicken Christmas Salad – with options for kids
Ingredients
- 6 free-range chicken thighs
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 300 grams of mixed salad greens
- 1 cup fresh kale, very finely shredded
- ¼ cup fresh snow pea sprouts, roughly shredded
- 1 carrot, grated
- ½ raw beetroot, peeled and finely grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 1 fresh lime, cut in half, juice and zest of
- ¼ cup cranberries, soaked for an hour in water
- 500 mls of bone broth (or chicken stock)
- 200 grams cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup fresh cherries, if available
- ¼ cup peppita seeds, (optional)
Method
- Cook the chicken thighs in the bone broth in a slow cooker for approx. 6 hours on medium
- While the chicken is cooking, wash and chop the sweet potato into 2 cm sized pieces, leaving skin on for extra nutrients.
- Place the sweet potato on baking trays, drizzle with olive oil and some Himalayan or sea salt and roast in the oven at approx. 180°C for approx. 30–45 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey and fresh lime juice and zest.
- Toss all the greens in a bowl with the dressing.
- Arrange greens on a platter-style serving dish.
- Use a fork to shred the chicken and arrange on the greens decoratively.
- Decorate the platter with tomatoes and roast sweet potatoes around the chicken, then sprinkle over the plump cranberries and optionally the green peppitas seeds and fresh cherries.
Notes
- The chicken and potatoes can be cooked the day before to save cooking time on Christmas day.
- Cooking the chicken in the bone broth gives this dish lots of extra nutrients.
- Bone broth can be made at home and frozen until needed or even bought from some health food shops and cafes.
- Add some fresh chilli to the adult’s portions.
- Try serving with some nuts like walnuts, pecans or pistachios.
Options for Kids
Toddler options
- This is a popular Christmas salad with toddlers and kids alike. The honey in the dressing makes the whole dish very palatable to young kids.
- You can make this really fun by serving in a cos lettuce, ‘lettuce cup’.
- To make a lettuce cup, take a small cos lettuce and wash under running water, pull the leaves off until you get to the firmer and smaller inner l leaves that resemble a bowl or ‘cup’ shape.
- Shake dry and fill these with this chicken salad. Easy for them to eat and best of all no washing up too!
Baby options
- Cut the sweet potato into ‘chips’ rather than chunks to make a great finger food.
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