Chicken salads are easy to put together and easy to eat! This twist adds a creamy curry dressing that will keep you coming back for more. We packed in sweet bites of apple, golden raisins, and a little crunch from toasted almonds and celery. Serve on a sandwich, over a bed of lettuce, stuffed in an avocado, or simply on its own!
For more chicken salad goodness, try our easy Pesto Chicken Salad.
Why Our Recipe
- A creamy curry dressing gives a twist to traditional chicken salad with
- Super easy to toss together and perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or even stuffed avocados.
- Sweet and crunchy mix-ins including apples, raisins, and toasted almonds.
Chicken salad is always on the menu for a picnic or spending a day by the pool. It also seems to be one of the quintessential inclusions at every baby shower and ladies’ luncheon, too. A curry version is a great way to keep things interesting. We’ll load it up on a croissant if we’re feeling fancy, or just scoop it into an avocado when you want something lighter for lunch.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: This recipe uses 2 cups of pre-cooked chicken. Rotisserie chicken or leftovers work perfectly. You can always bake and shred chicken breasts as well.
- Celery: Mince it up so it can spread the crunch around in the salad.
- Apple: Crips apples give the perfect crunch. We suggest red apples like Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Red Delicious for their sweetness, but you can use green apples for a more tart flavor.
- Green Onions: These add a fresh, mild onion flavor and texture to the salad without the sharp bite of a regular onion.
- Almonds: Slivered almonds give a noticeable crunch so your chicken salad isn’t mushy. We have you toast them to get a better flavor. You can also swap out with roughly chopped cashews.
- Raisins: We use golden raisins instead of regular for their sweeter flavor and juiciness. Regular raisins work, but you really get a better result with those plump golden raisins. You could also use dried cranberries or quarter some red or grapes.
- Mayonnaise: We have done mayo taste tests and strongly recommend using a neutral-flavored mayonnaise. Turns out, this is almost always going to be a generic store brand. If you want something lighter, you can replace the mayo with plain Greek yogurt in the same amount.
- Curry Powder: We use a plain yellow curry powder. You can easily find in the spice aisle of pretty much any U.S. or Canadian grocery store.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed always gives the best flavor, but the bottled stuff works too.
- Cilantro: We love cilantro for that distinctly fresh, citrusy, and slightly spicy taste, but some people have that gene where it tastes like soap. Use your best judgment for whether or not to include.
Chicken Options
This recipe calls for shredded cooked chicken and that comes with all sorts of options.
Rotisserie Chicken – many American grocery stores sell cooked rotisserie chickens that you can buy and shred. It’s often a “loss leader,” which means they sell it for less than it actually costs to mak,e so it can be a great deal. Many stores are also now offering the rotisserie chicken pre-shredded and packaged, too!
Frozen Cooked Chicken – check out the freezer section of your grocery store for pre-cooked chicken strips and chunks.
Boiled Chicken – Simply boil 2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound) in either water or chicken broth (for more flavor) for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and shred chicken with a fork.
Bake Your Own Chicken – lay chicken breasts out into a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through. Then shred or roughly chop.
Make-Ahead Instructions
This is the perfect make-ahead meal. In fact, this cold salad is even tastier if it’s been left in the fridge for a couple of hours or even an entire day before you eat it! This is great news if you want to prepare for a picnic or simply make a cold lunch ahead of time. Simply follow the instructions and cover your salad tightly with plastic wrap before storing it in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
There’s no wrong way to serve curry chicken salad, and there really are so many options. It’s kind of nice because it makes it perfect for so many different occasions.
On a Croissant: Nothing beats a flaky croissant stuffed with curry chicken salad. It feels a little fancy. You could also use various other buns and rolls, but croissant is the classic.
In a Lettuce Wrap: If you want something lighter, scoop it into a big piece of butter lettuce or romaine leaves.
Wrapped in a Tortilla: Roll it up with some spinach or greens in a tortilla and you’ve got an easy wrap that travels well.
Stuffed in an Avocado: Slice an avocado in half and load it up. It’s fresh, filling, and just feels a little extra (in the best way).
Over a Salad: Go more old school and scoop it on top of your favorite greens for a super quick salad.
With Crackers: Scoop it up with your favorite crackers or pita chips for an easy snack board situation or appetizer.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. To enjoy it again, you can serve it cold, straight from the fridge or let it come to room temperature.
*Freezing is not recommended.
