Kohlrabi Chicken & Pear Salad

Move over kale and cauliflower, it’s time for a new superfood star – kohlrabi. It’s one of the latest darlings in the health conscious culinary world so you’ll be seeing more and more recipes featuring this nutritious vegetable. I used it to make this tasty, crunchy kohlrabi salad with grilled chicken, pear, walnuts and a creamy dressing. It’s a perfect complete meal that keeps well so you can make a batch for your lunchbox (or Mason jar).

What is kohlrabi?

Kohlrabi is part of the cabbage family and it looks like a round turnip. It can be pale green or purple in colour, and its texture and flavour closely resemble a combination of cabbage core and broccoli stem. It’s a little sweet, firm and crunchy – like a savoury apple. Kohlrabi is usually peeled and then used raw or cooked. You can easily use the peel in stocks and soups, and the leaves can be utalized as well.

Best ways to use kohlrabi include making raw salads such as slaws, stewing and braising it as you would turnips, roasting as fries and grating into fritters. Today I will show you how to use it in a simple, nutritious salad.

Kohlrabi Nutrition

When it comes to nutritious, kohlrabi is very high in vitamin C (higher than oranges) as well as other antioxidants, and it’s a great source of fibre, which we need for good gut health and digestion. It’s also high in potassium, which is a key player in muscle and nerve behavior of the body. And like other members of the Brassica family, it contains health-promoting phytochemicals such as isothiocyanates, sulforaphane, and indole-3-carbinol that protect against prostate and colon cancers.

Cook’s notes: Either green or purple kohlrabi can be used in this salad. If you can’t find kohlrabi or it’s not in season, you can replace it with raw carrot, fennel, radish or cucumber (or a combination of such). If you don’t have the time to grill the chicken, simply add some diced up turkey, ham or even tinned tuna for protein. Crispy bacon or grated Parmesan cheese would go nicely as additional ingredients.

Kohlrabi Chicken & Pear Salad

• Author: Irena Macri
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Yield: 3-4 1x
• Category: Salad

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Ingredients

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For the chicken

• 2 chicken breasts, skin off
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoons dried mixed Italian herbs
• coconut oil for cooking

For the salad

• 2 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and diced into small cubes
• 1 large pear, core out and finely diced
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped chives or spring onion

For the dressing

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (lemon juice is fine)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• generous pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Optional: grated Parmesan cheese or crispy bacon

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Instructions

1. Sliced the chicken breasts in half, going lengthways, into thinner pieces. Season with salt and pepper and some dried herbs. Set aside to come to room temperature.
2. Heat a dollop of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Some thicker pieces might need a little longer, or you can slice them in half to cook faster. Set to rest for a few minutes.
3. In the meantime, dice up the rest of the ingredients and whisk together the salad dressing.
4. Dice the chicken breasts into cubes and add to the salad. Add the dressing and mix well together. Garnish with extra chives and walnuts. Enjoy!

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