5.0 from 6 votes
Curried Chicken Salad
Tucked inside a sandwich, stuffed in a pita, paired with fruit, or served on a bed of lettuce, this Curried Chicken Salad is a light and easy dinner or lunch idea for the warm weather months!
Prep Time
15 mins
Additional Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 5 1/2 cups (11 1/2-cup servings)
Calories: 156 kcal
Course:
Dinner
Cuisine:
American
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked, diced chicken
- 1 ½ cups halved grapes (or 11 ounces mandarin oranges, drained)
- 1 cup diced celery
- ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1 cup mayonnaise (I used light mayonnaise for purposes of calculating nutrition information)
- 2 teaspoons less sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- Garnish: fresh cilantro or fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together chicken, grapes, and celery. In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, soy sauce, lemon juice, curry powder, about ¼ teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper.
- Add mayonnaise mixture to the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Just before serving, stir in the slivered almonds.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- To toast slivered almonds quickly, I like to place the almonds in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave the almonds on high for about 1 minute, or until they're just fragrant and golden brown.
- Feel free to substitute cashews, pecans or walnuts in place of the almonds if you prefer.
- Wait to stir the nuts into the salad until just before serving. This way the nuts will still be crunchy and won't get soggy in the dressing.
- I used grapes in this recipe, but you can also prepare a curry chicken salad with apples, with canned mandarin oranges, or with chopped mango!
- Add a can of sliced, drained water chestnuts for some extra crunch.
- A handful of raisins gives the salad nice texture and sweetness.
- A garnish of fresh parsley or fresh cilantro adds a nice, bright, colorful finish!
- Prepare this salad up to 2 days in advance. It keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- You can use leftover grilled or roasted chicken, store-bought rotisserie chicken, or chicken that you cook at home. If you prefer to cook your chicken at home, I use 1.5-2 lbs. of raw chicken tenders (breast meat is fine too, but the tenders cook faster). My preferred cooking method is to place the chicken tenders in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Cover with foil and bake in a 400F (200C) oven for about 30 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through). Allow to cool before chopping and using in the recipe.
- For a healthy Curry Chicken Salad, try using low-fat mayonnaise or substituting plain Greek yogurt for half of the mayonnaise called for in the recipe.
Nutrition Information
Serving
0.5cup
Calories
156kcal
(8%)
Carbohydrates
7g
(2%)
Protein
13g
(26%)
Fat
8g
(12%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Cholesterol
35mg
(12%)
Sodium
218mg
(9%)
Potassium
201mg
(6%)
Sugar
4g
(8%)
Vitamin A
75IU
(2%)
Vitamin C
1.3mg
(1%)
Calcium
26mg
(3%)
Iron
0.8mg
(4%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 51/2 cups (11 1/2-cup servings)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 156
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 0.5cup | |
| Calories | 156kcal | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 7g | 2% |
| Protein | 13g | 26% |
| Fat | 8g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 35mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 218mg | 9% |
| Potassium | 201mg | 4% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 75IU | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 1.3mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 26mg | 3% |
| Iron | 0.8mg | 4% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.