Curried Chicken Salad Recipe
This Curried Chicken Salad recipe combines tender cooked chicken with a flavorful curry-spiced dressing, crisp Granny Smith apples, crunchy celery, scallions, salted roasted cashews, and sweet raisins. The dressing is made with mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lime juice, honey, curry powder, turmeric, and ground ginger, enhanced by optional spices such as cumin, cayenne, and celery salt. Perfect for a quick and delicious meal, this salad can be served with crackers, in lettuce wraps, pita pockets, or sandwich bread and is ideal for making ahead as flavors meld beautifully after chilling.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes (plus optional chilling time of 1 hour)
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Curried Salad Dressing
- 1/3 to 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise (Dukes recommended), to taste
- ¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
- 2 tsp Fresh Lime Juice (or Lemon Juice)
- 1-2 tsp Honey, to taste
- 1 tsp Curry Powder
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
- Kosher Salt, to taste
- Ground Black Pepper, to taste
- Optional: ¼ tsp Ground Cumin
- Optional: 1/8 to 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- Optional: 1/8 tsp Celery Salt
Chicken Salad
- 1 pound Cooked Chicken, shredded or medium dice (about 3 cups or 2 breasts)
- 1 medium Granny Smith Apple, cored and small dice
- 2 ribs Celery, small dice (heaping ½ cup)
- 2 large Scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts, about 1/3 cup)
- ½ to ¾ Cup Salted Roasted Cashews, roughly chopped (to taste, substitute toasted almonds)
- 1/3 Cup Raisins (or more to taste, substitute dried apricots)
- ¼ Cup Fresh Cilantro or Dill, chopped, optional and to taste
Instructions
- Make the Curry Salad Dressing: In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/3 cup mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, fresh lime juice, 1 tsp honey, curry powder, turmeric, and ground ginger. If using, add ground cumin, cayenne pepper, and celery salt. Season with ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and about ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Whisk vigorously until all ingredients are well combined, creating a smooth and flavorful dressing.
- Toss Chicken Salad: Add the cooked shredded or diced chicken, diced Granny Smith apple, diced celery, sliced scallions, ½ cup of the chopped salted roasted cashews, raisins, and fresh herbs if using to the bowl with the curry dressing. Toss thoroughly until all components are evenly coated with the dressing.
- Chill (Optional, but Recommended): Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the chicken salad for at least 1 hour. This chilling time allows the flavors to marry and intensify, resulting in a more harmonious and delicious salad.
- Taste and Adjust Chicken Salad: After chilling, remove the cover and add the remaining ¼ cup cashews if desired. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning as needed—add more mayonnaise for creaminess, honey for sweetness, lime juice for acidity, or seasoning spices and herbs for enhanced flavor and freshness.
- Serve or Store Curried Chicken Salad: Serve the curried chicken salad with crackers, stuffed in lettuce wraps, inside pita pockets, or between your favorite sandwich bread. Alternatively, store the salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days while maintaining freshness and flavor.
Notes
- Optional Seasonings: For a more robust curry flavor, add ¼ tsp ground cumin, 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/8 tsp celery salt to the dressing.
- Servings: The recipe makes about 4-6 servings.
- Scaling: You can scale the recipe up or down easily by adjusting the number of servings in the recipe card sliding scale.
- Storage: Keeps well refrigerated for 3-4 days.
- Substitutions: Use lemon juice instead of lime, toasted almonds in place of cashews, and dried apricots instead of raisins if desired.
- Flavor Tip: Chilling the salad before serving greatly improves the flavor and texture.
Find it online: https://cookingwithsarah.com/curried-chicken-salad-recipe/
