Description

This Curried Chicken Salad is a flavorful and creamy dish combining shredded cooked chicken with a delicious curried dressing made from mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, and spices. Enhanced with crunchy cashews, sweet raisins, crisp apples, and fresh herbs, it offers a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. Ideal for lunch or a light meal, this salad can be served with crackers, in lettuce wraps, pita pockets, or as a sandwich filling.

Ingredients

Curried Salad Dressing

1/3 to 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise (I use Dukes)
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
To taste Kosher Salt
To taste Ground Black Pepper
Optional: ¼ tsp Ground Cumin
Optional: 1/8 – 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 diced)
2 ribs Celery (small diced, about ½ cup heaping)
2 large Scallions (thinly sliced, white and green parts, 1/3 cup)
½ to ¾ Cup Salted Roasted Cashews (roughly chopped; sub: toasted almonds)
1/3 Cup Raisins (or more to taste; sub: dried apricots)
¼ Cup Fresh Cilantro or Dill (optional, more or less to taste)

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Instructions

Make the Curry Salad Dressing: In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/3 cup mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon honey, curry powder, turmeric, and ground ginger. If using, add optional spices: ground cumin, cayenne pepper, and celery salt. Season with ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and a scant ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Use a whisk to vigorously stir all ingredients until fully blended and smooth.
Toss Chicken Salad: To the bowl containing the curry dressing, add the shredded or diced cooked chicken, diced Granny Smith apple, diced celery, sliced scallions, ½ cup of chopped cashews, raisins, and fresh herbs if using. Toss all ingredients thoroughly to ensure everything is evenly coated with the dressing.
Chill – Optional but Recommended: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the chicken salad for at least 1 hour. This chilling step helps the flavors meld and intensify, enhancing the overall taste of the salad.
Taste and Adjust Chicken Salad: After chilling, uncover the salad and add the remaining ¼ cup of cashews if desired. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning to your preference. You can add additional mayonnaise for creaminess, extra honey for sweetness, more lemon or lime juice for acidity, additional salt and pepper for seasoning, or fresh herbs for brightness.
Serve or Store Curried Chicken Salad: Serve the curried chicken salad with crackers, stuffed into lettuce wraps, in pita pockets, or between sandwich bread. Alternatively, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Notes

Optional Seasonings for more robust flavor: ¼ tsp Ground Cumin, 1/8 to 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (to taste), 1/8 tsp Celery Salt (to taste)
Servings: 4-6 servings
To scale the recipe, adjust servings using the slider on the original recipe card if available.
Chilling the salad for at least 1 hour improves flavor blending.
Store leftovers properly in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Category: Salad
Method: No-Cook
Cuisine: Indian