Ultimate Curry Chicken Salad (Printable version)
Tender chicken with crisp veggies, sweet fruit, and creamy curry dressing for a refreshing meal.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.1 lbs)
02 - 1 tsp salt
03 - ½ tsp black pepper
04 - 1 tbsp olive oil
→ Salad Base
05 - ¾ cup celery, finely diced
06 - ½ cup red onion, finely diced
07 - 1 medium apple, cored and diced
08 - ½ cup seedless red grapes, halved
09 - ⅓ cup toasted cashews or almonds, roughly chopped
10 - ¼ cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
→ Curry Dressing
11 - ½ cup mayonnaise
12 - ¼ cup Greek yogurt
13 - 2 tbsp mango chutney (optional)
14 - 1½ tsp curry powder
15 - ½ tsp turmeric
16 - ½ tsp ground cumin
17 - 1 tbsp lemon juice
18 - 1 tsp honey
19 - ½ tsp salt
20 - ¼ tsp black pepper
# How to Make It:
01 - Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken for 7–8 minutes per side, or until fully cooked and juices run clear. Remove from heat, let rest 5 minutes, then dice or shred into bite-sized pieces.
02 - In a large bowl, combine diced chicken, celery, red onion, apple, grapes, nuts, and cilantro or parsley.
03 - In a separate small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, mango chutney, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper until smooth and well blended.
04 - Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. Toss gently to coat everything evenly.
05 - Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed.
06 - Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld. Serve chilled as a salad, in sandwiches, wraps, or on a bed of greens.
# Expert tips:
01 -
- Perfect make-ahead dish that actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge for a day
- The sweet and savory combo means it pleases even picky eaters who claim they hate curry
02 -
- The salad needs that chilling time in the fridge or it will taste like separate ingredients instead of a cohesive dish
- Starting with less dressing and adding more is always better than drowning everything in mayonnaise
03 -
- Toast the nuts in a dry pan for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant watching carefully so they do not burn
- Use rotisserie chicken for a 15 minute version but remove the skin first for the best texture