Chicken Salad just got a makeover! This Curry Chicken Salad recipe is a mouthwatering flavor bomb. Loaded with curry powder, creamy mayo, crunchy celery, and onion, this recipe will be on repeat for make-ahead lunches!
Do you love hearty salad recipes that fill you up and are healthy? Check out my Mediterranean Quinoa which is packed with veggies, and my Blackened Shrimp Salad is ready in just 10 minutes!
The creamy dressing is flavored with curry powder, a blend of spices like coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom, to name just a few. I recommend using poached chicken to make the salad, but roasted chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken work well too.
Chicken Curry Salad Ingredients
- Shredded chicken: I use pre-cooked shredded chicken for this recipe. Rotisserie chicken is perfect (this is a great way to use up leftovers!) or you can try my Instant pot Shredded Chicken – it’s so easy!
- Mayonnaise: Regular, full-fat mayonnaise is my preferred mayo, however, low fat, olive oil, avocado oil, or homemade mayo are all great options. Just add your favorite!
- Red onion: Just a little red onion is diced and added. I like it’s sweetness and it has a slightly milder flavor compared to a yellow onion.
- Celery: Crunch!! Just to add some texture, I tossed some celery in. I find chicken salad to be very soft without it so I had to add a little for crunchiness.
- Curry powder: Here’s where the curry comes in! This is such an easy twist on regular chicken curry salad, and it tastes amazing! This is our go to curry powder!
- Honey: Just a little sweetness brings out the other flavors. It really complements the curry aroma!
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice gives an acidic hint to the chicken salad.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon is both a little spicy and tangy. It pairs perfectly with lemon and honey.
- Salt and pepper: Seasoning, to bring out all of the other flavors, I add in salt and pepper at the end and adjust it to my own taste.
The Best Curry Chicken Salad!
If you know me, you’ll know that there are three things I love (besides peanut butter and chocolate): chicken, salads, and curry! Throw those three foods together and what do you get? Curry Chicken Salad!
This Curry Chicken Salad recipe is the best chicken salad I’ve ever had. There’s no way I’ll be going back to regular chicken salad! Curry powder, mixed with creamy mayo, crunchy celery and red onion, juicy and moist shredded chicken, gets laced with honey, lemon, and mustard. It is an explosion of flavor and texture in one little bite!
This recipe is perfect for meal prep! I like to make a batch at the beginning of the week and serve it with lettuce cups or tortillas for lunch. It’s perfect for low carb and keto diets, and if you use a compliant mayonnaise it is whole30 friendly as well!
Curry Chicken Salad
FAQ
What does a chicken salad contain?
What is it called chicken curry or curry chicken?
Can you eat curry chicken salad on its own?
It’s good enough to eat on its own, or it can be packed into wraps. The key to a great Curry Chicken Salad is balancing out the flavors. Yellow curry powder is relatively mild, but it greatly benefits from the sweetness of raisins, some fresh crunchy apple, crunchy cashews, and the freshness of crisp celery and chopped chives.
What are some foods that can be enhanced by cumin?
Cumin is a spice native to Asia, Africa, and Europe. Cumin helps in weight loss, diabetes, and cholesterol. Cumin is an essential spice for Indian curries and chutneys, but it also works well in stews, soups, barbecue sauces, and chili recipes.
Can you use curry powder to flavor chicken salad?
Curry powder is usually a blend of several different spices, such as turmeric, coriander, cumin, and chili pepper. The combination of these spices gives curry powder its characteristic yellow color and warm, earthy flavor. When using curry powder to flavor chicken salad, start by adding a small amount and then taste the salad before adding more.
How to make curry chicken salad?
Toss Chicken Salad: To the bowl with the curry dressing, add the cooked chicken, apples, celery, scallions, cashews, and raisins, along with the fresh herbs, if using. Toss well until all the ingredients are thoroughly coated in the dressing. Chill – Optional: Cover the bowl of curry chicken salad and place it into the fridge.