Curried Chicken Salad

This curried chicken salad has such a unique blend of textures and flavours. There is juicy chicken, crunch from celery, roasted cashews, a pop of sweetness from raisins, grapes, and warmth from the curried mayo dressing. And there is one trick that I am going to share, which will take this salad to a whole new level, i.e., blooming the curry powder. Read through the post to understand why this additional step is a game-changer.

My first impression when I heard about curried chicken salad was, ‘Why make a salad dressing with curry powder?’ I have always associated curry powder with curries or rice recipes. It was only a couple of years back that I tried this salad, and honestly, I was blown away by the taste, texture, and the unique flavour of it. It is salty, spicy, there is a pop of sweetness, herby and also crunchy.

One thing that stands out in my recipe is the way I make the mayo dressing, which you probably won’t find anywhere else.

You will love this salad for so many reasons.

Incredibly easy to make with a handful of ingredients. However, it is also pretty versatile; you can add or remove ingredients based on what you have on hand.
Perfect for meal prep as it refrigerates well, in fact, it gets better the next day as the flavors develop upon resting.
You can serve this in many ways.

Ingredients

Chicken– I prefer poached chicken. But leftover rotisserie chicken will also work. Just make sure the cooked chicken is not heavily seasoned. You could either chop or shred the chicken.
Celery- Use diced. It gives a good crunch.
Onion – Onion goes well with curry flavor, however, if you aren’t a fan of onion, then you can skip it.
Raisins– My favourite is the little pop of sweet tart raisins in this salad. You can use dried cranberries too.
Roasted Cashew – Again for crunch. You can also use toasted almonds or pistachios.
Green Onion
Cilantro – Goes well in the curry-flavored dressing.
Mayo – Use a good quality full-fat mayo.
Greek yogurt – Instead of using all mayo in the dressing, which will make it quite rich, I have used Greek yogurt.
Curry powder- Use any mild curry powder. Make sure its fresh, because old/stale spice blend isn’t flavourful enough.
Oil- To bloom the curry powder.
Fresh Lemon Juice –
Honey/ maple syrup – To balance the dressing, a dash of honey/maple syrup goes a long way.

Can I use chicken thighs? – Chicken thighs are a bit too fatty for this recipe. so chicken breast is the best.

Other veggies that you can use – You can add grapes, chopped apple, shredded carrot, chopped bell pepper etc. If you are meal prepping this salad, then I would skip adding grapes/ apples beforehand.

Steps to make (with tips)

Make Curried Mayo Dressing

Most dressing recipe calls for adding the curry powder directly to the mayo. However, to get the best from the spices, one needs to bloom them. Blooming spices is nothing but gently heating the spices so that the rawness of them is gone, and they release the aromatic oils. This process intensifies the flavors and elevates the taste. For the same reason, in a lot of Indian recipes, spices are dry-roasted before they are ground. Or while making curries, you add the spices to the fat and saute for a while.

Make sure the oil is not smoking hot when you add it to the curry powder, or else the spices will burn instantly. It should be a little more than warm.

Prep and Assemble The Salad

Keep all the veggies diced and herbs chopped. If you are cooking fresh chicken, then make sure it has come to room temperature before adding the dressing.

In a big salad bowl, add chopped chicken, celery, chopped cashews, cilantro, raisins, and green onion, along with the white parts. Pour the salad dressing and toss to combine.

Serving Curried Chicken Salad

You can convert it to a main dish easily.

Stuff between two toasted bread and make a sandwich.
Make a lunch wrap. On your choice of tortilla, place a layer of lettuce or salad leaves, top it with the salad, and roll.
For a low-carb option, serve it on lettuce leaves.
I often serve it as a snack with some crackers.

Leftovers ?? – Here are storage tips

This salad works well as leftovers. Keep it in airtight containers for up to 3 days. When refrigerated, the veggies might lose their crispness, and you might see a thin layer of liquid around the edges( it is nothing but the moisture from the veggies).

Another good thing about this is that you can also serve it lightly chilled or at room temperature.

This salad doesn’t freeze well.