This Curry Chicken Salad has got it all - tender chicken, crunchy celery, onion and almonds, and sweet currants in a creamy curry dressing. It may just become your new favorite lunch!
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Curry Chicken Salad might sound a little fancy - and it kind of is - but it's easy to make and is so incredibly delicious! Serve it on a bed of lettuce, spread it on crackers, stuff it in a tomato, or make a wrap or a sandwich. It's sure to impress!
Whenever I have leftover roasted or grilled chicken, I almost always make some chicken salad the next day. I really love a good basic chicken salad, but - oh, my - this Curry Chicken Salad is so good that it's worth cooking up some chicken just to make it!
It's fun to change things up now and then, and this chicken salad - with all of its different flavors and textures - totally delivers! If you love curry, then this is right up your alley. Never tried it? This is a great place to start!
What is Curry Powder?
Curry powder is a mixture of spices. There are many different recipes, but generally, the main ingredient is turmeric (which gives everything that vibrant yellow color) along with other spices such as coriander, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, mustard, pepper, cardamom, and fenugreek.
Sometimes cayenne pepper or chiles are added to curry powder for heat. I have found that, unless labeled as hot or spicy, most store-bought curry powders are not hot at all. Regular, not-hot curry powder is what you want to use for this recipe.
Fun fact: Although it's commonly thought of as coming from India, curry powder's origins are actually British!
Check out my Easy Homemade Curry Powder recipe if you'd like to make your own. It uses ingredients you may already keep on hand in your spice cabinet. This is what I use.
Ingredients You Need
- Mayonnaise
- Lemon juice
- Curry powder
- Cooked chicken breast
- Celery
- Onion (I use red)
- Sliced or slivered almonds
- Currants (or raisins)
- Salt and pepper
Currants are little miniature raisins. You can usually find them next to the raisins in the grocery store. If you can't get them, just use raisins (regular or golden).
How to Make Curry Chicken Salad
Tips & Tidbits
- No cooked chicken breasts on hand? You can poach some, grill some, roast some, cook some up in the Instant Pot, or you can just get a rotisserie chicken (super easy!). Just be sure to let the meat cool completely before making your chicken salad.
- My favorite method is roasting a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast. Brush a one-pound breast with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast on a baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean-up) at 375°F for 45 minutes to an hour or until is cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F). Cool completely and shred.
- A one-pound bone-in breast usually gives me about 2 cups of chicken.
- Shred or cube the chicken? It's up to you! I shred my chicken because cubes always seem to end up all over the place. Shredded chicken stays put better.
- You can eat this chicken salad immediately, but it is best if you let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. You want to give all those flavors and textures a little bit of time to get to know each other and meld together.
Mmm... That right there is my favorite way to eat this chicken salad...piled on a buttery croissant with some fresh, crisp lettuce. Now that is a sandwich that will earn rave reviews!
I hope you try this Curry Chicken Salad recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Sandwich Salad Recipes to Try
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went! Please leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Curry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breasts
- ½ cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons finely diced onion, I use red onion
- ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds
- ¼ cup currants, or raisins
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry powder until well-combined.
- Add the shredded chicken, celery, onions, almonds, and currants; stir until well-combined and everything is evenly coated with the dressing.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow the flavors to blend. Note: You can eat the chicken salad immediately, but the flavor is so much better if you give it some time to sit!
- Serve on a bed of lettuce, stuffed into tomatoes, spread on crackers, or make sandwiches.
Notes
- Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- No cooked chicken breasts on hand? Poach some, grill some, roast some, cook some up in the Instant Pot, or you can just get a rotisserie chicken (super easy!). Just be sure to let the meat cool completely before making your chicken salad.
- My favorite method is roasting a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast. Brush a one-pound breast with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast on a baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean-up) at 375°F for 45 minutes to an hour or until cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F).
- A one-pound bone-in breast will usually give me about 2 cups of chicken.
- Estimated calories are for the chicken salad only and do not include anything you might serve it with, such as bread.
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