O.K. everybody calm down. It's a bold claim, I know. But this really is a great recipe. Perhaps the best curry chicken salad recipe in the land. Chicken, apples, mayo, curry, toasted pecans, celery and raisins. I know. You don't like raisins, right? You can use cranberries if you want.
The first time I made this curry chicken salad, I dreamed about it for the next 3 days. The same way I dream about french fries and having a big toe that isn't plagued with a bunion.
I originally got the recipe years ago from a guy who was a Crossfit super-enthusiast. And by Crossfit super-enthusiast I mean any person who has ever done more than one Crossfit class. If a person takes one class and THEN they think it's a good decision to go back for a second Crossfit class, they're automatically a deranged Crossfit enthusiast who will commit to it with a cult-like fervour.
The same guy is where I got my No Cook Hippie Dippy Cookie recipe from. I took one Crossfit class about a decade ago and the best things I got out of it were these two recipes from the gym owner.
I serve this chicken salad cold on a leaf of romaine lettuce (like a leafy pita) which is a habit I got into after the crossfitting lunatic nice guy from the gym, decided limiting carbs was a great idea.
Because of how blindly I follow the instructions of someone with a 6 pack, I don't ever eat this salad on bread. Only lettuce. Usually.
Gather your ingredients Martha Stewart-style. Get everything ready to go. You're going to be working with apples, celery, grilled chicken, and lots of other good stuff. The full printable recipe is at the bottom of the post.
Curry Chicken Salad Ingredients
- chicken
- celery
- apples
- raisins
- pecans
- mayo
- cayenne
- curry
- s&p
This chicken salad is filled with everything good. Things that are crispy, chewy, sweet, tart, creamy and crunchy.
It's the easiest recipe to make because there's no cooking, it's a dice and dump recipe.You dice your apple, celery, chicken and pecans then mix everything together and that's it, it's done.
Adjust the spices so they're how you like them. Love curry? Add more curry. Love heat? Add more cayenne. Like it creamier? Add more mayo. Watching calories? Add less.
Now let's talk about raisins. Apparently some of you don't like them. I don't know why, but I'm not here to judge.
If you don't like raisins use dried cranberries.
Add salt & pepper. You know. To taste.
Serve and enjoy.
Only 500 calories per meal if eaten on lettuce leaves.
The Best Curry Chicken Salad You'll Ever Eat
Ingredients
- 1 cooked chicken breast chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- ½ a red apple diced small
- ¼ cup toasted pecans chopped
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup mayonnaise to start
- ¼ tsp. curry powder
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix.
- Add additional mayonnaise or spices to taste.
Nutrition
Now before you go squinching your nose up at chicken salad wrapped in a lettuce leaf as opposed to a pita or bread, I have to say, in the lettuce's defence, that the crunch it has makes up for the lack of carbs. I honestly prefer it this way now. Also because you're eating this on a lettuce leaf instead of two hunks of bread, you feel full but not as grossly full after eating it. Which means you have room to eat ice cream for dessert.
Honestly. The crispness of the lettuce against the creaminess of the mayonnaise is wonderfully delicious. The flavours of the salad are all very distinct. The slight hints of curry and cayenne pepper are met with the odd sweet burst of apple and raisin. Add in the freshness of the celery and the crunch of the toasted pecans and you have the perfect Curry Chicken Salad.
Sweet dreams.
This really is the best I've ever eaten...well, I don't typically like mayo based salads so I tend to avoid them altogether, but I had this at a Downton Abbey tea party and had to request the recipe from the SDPB (SD Public Broadcasting - who hosted the teas all over SD). When I make this I can't get enough of it! I'm going to make it this weekend for our Downton Abbey Reunion Tea a friend and I are having, and we're nestling it into mini-popovers. I can't wait! This really is so good! I'm anticipating lots of requests for the recipe. :)
OH! The Downton Abbey tea party people were using my Curried Chicken Salad recipe? That's funny! And fun. :) I still always eat it on lettuce but I bet they'd be great in a popover! ~ karen
What a coincidence to see this recipe again... I did the Whole30 Challenge at the beginning of this year and struggled to come up with a "compliant" meal that I could prep ahead of time and bring to work for lunch. I remembered this recipe from when it was first posted (yes, I have been following you that long, just never post) and searched for it. It is sooo good that I have continued to bring it to the office for lunch every day - long after I finished my Challenge! I use chicken thighs, cook a bunch in the slow cooker on the weekend, chop the meat and portion it into baggies (some goes into the freezer). The night before mix it up but don't cut up the apple - I pack it to bring with my lunch. The next day I just slice the apple up and take a bite with each bite of salad... wonderful!
I was reading my favorite seed catalog (Baker Creek Heirloom seeds) and came across a new type of basil. It's called Lettuce Leaf basil and the leaves are huge--perfect for wraps. I had just seen the catalog entry and was thinking I wished I had a good recipe for chicken salad when yours showed up. Perfect timing. A special dish you have to have a garden to enjoy.
confused - the post is from March 7, 2017, but the replies are from 2011? Is this a glitch or was this recipe reposted? Anyways it sounds tasty, and since the hubby is allergic to fresh apples, I shall try red grapes & cranberries. Oh and it would be good in those little mini peppers as an appetizer too
Hi Renee! I re-wrote and re-posted it yesterday. I do that the odd time with older posts that deserve their time in the sun. Fix up the photos a bit, rewrite a bit and in this case added in a new printable recipe. :) ~ karen!
Just a quick comment...this salad is much much much better if you let it sit in the frig for at least overnight. And yes, do sub dried cranberries, over raisins. Either are great, but the cranberries are the best. By letting it sit and mellow the flavors really marry together better. This is one of my favorite foods, but alas, it is not low enough carb for me with the apples and cranberries. So I make and eat it very very rarely. It becomes a special treat and one I would eat over dessert any day
Yes, you're right! Like chili or anything else with spices it gets better with age. (but not too much age, lol) ~ karen!
I am dreaming of just such a salad. I will go with apples, celery, cashews and maybe chopped grapes.
My question is why no cashews, almond or walnuts? I am doing some kind of a paleo diet and I have not heard of those restrictions.
Thank you for the great receipe!
Candice
What type of curry did you use. I tried a curried chicken a few months back and it was terrible.
Thanks
Well, you might not like curry Bev, lol. I use two types of curry depending on my mood and what I'm making. Regular indian curry and Thai curry, which is a bit sweeter and milder. I like both. Also if you're new to curry just add a little bit. I add a ton now but I started years ago with just experimenting with a little bit. :) ~ karen!
Karen - when I saw this recipe I had to have it now! Ran out to buy the apple, celery and lettuce, mixed it up (used Craisens) wrapped it up and was in heaven - couldn't get a big enough mouthfull! Then, drat - realised I'd forgotten to put the apple in - back to the kitchen, added the apple and made another one! The combination of the crunch (I used toasted walnut pieces), chew, creamy flavor is amazing! I've recently lost 25#, so will be making this with a lil less chicken and light mayo - Thank you very much!!! Debi
It's a keeper isn't it Debi? It's just a perfect little recipe. And congratulations on losing 25 pounds. That's a lot of hard work! ~ karen
I seriously love this assholes recipe! Bookmarked to make whenever we have chicken. I purposely starve myself a little to have leftovers for this recipe the next day. Thank you!!!!!! ?
I have a very similar recipe; but instead of Mayo, I use Greek Honey Yogurt. Sometimes I add some quinoa for extra protein and filler. My recipe is missing the celery and the pepper - going to add that next time I make it. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
The Greek Honey Yogurt sounds great for it! ~ karen
Just love me some curried chicken salad! Try this same recipe with turkey breast and substitute halved white grapes for the raisins, toasted almonds, water chestnuts (yep!) instead of the other nuts. And you can make it a tiny bit healthier by doing half mayo half plain yogurt. Thanks again!
Hey Karen!
I just discovered your site and love it! I also looove me some curry chicken salad. But every curry powder I buy says on the label "must be cooked before consuming". I tried toasting it up with cashews and a little oil but since I'm lazy what I REALLY want to know is your secret :) Is there a type of curry powder that doesn't require cooking? Or is the label something everyone knows can be ignored and I'm being a goody two shoes??
Hey Goody! ;) Don't worry about cooking the curry powder. You absolutely don't have to. Most spices should always be toasted a bit until fragrant when you're cooking with them but you can absolutely add raw curry powder to this salad. Welcome to my site! ~ karen
Thank you so much! I plan to make it tomorrow. I love chicken salad and am looking forward to making it. Jorge
If you use several pieces of chicken, do you have to have to increase the other ingredients (such as the mayo, celery, raisins, etc) in proportion? Jorge
Hi Jorge. Yes, if you use, for example, twice as much chicken, use twice as much of everything else. But it's a pretty forgiving recipe. If you taste it and find you want more curry … just add some more. Taste it as you go. ~ karen!
I'm so excited to try this for dinner tn! It's the closest one I've seen to the salad they sell at my local farmers market.
For the curry, I know you said you use less then the "asshole" - is the ¼ tsp. curry powder the original or the modified amount?
Thanks!!
The amount I show is the original amount. :) When I make the salad myself now I actually use a TON of curry, lol! At least a teaspoon. Most people have different tolerances for curry so just add whatever tastes good to you. Start with a little, then keep adding until it seems right for you. ~ karen!
This Curried Chicken Salad is the best I have ever eaten!! We like it hot, so I used 90,000 units of cayenne and added golden raisins. So yummy!!
90,000 units, lol. That's up there on the scoville scale. Glad you liked it. It's one of my favourites! ~ karen
I stumbled across this recipe just a few hours ago and *had* to make it for lunch. I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, but close enough. I substituted chopped dates for the raisins. I love how the sweetness is offset by the curry and cayenne. It was "eat it straight out of the bowl" fantastic!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I'm happy you liked it Deb M! And thanks for commenting. I love it when people do that on my food posts because it reminds me of certain dishes (like this salad, lol) I haven't made in a while. Sounds like a good one for this weekend. :) ~ karen
I'm a cooks outside the lines kinda gal, so, here is my twist on your recipe which was an excellent foundation for my "playing":
I started with a huge chicken from Costco which I chopped up in big chunks, both white and dark meat.
I love curry so I wound up using around 3/4 a tsp and doubled the cayenne.
I hate celery so, I chopped up some tri-colored mini peppers (sweet not hot, red - yellow - orange) and some red onion.
I used around 1/2 cup + of mayonnaise (big chicken)
I used the salt, chopped pecans, raisins and apples just as you suggested. (I don't usually like sweet and savory but this was divine.)
I served a big scoop on top of a bed of baby spinach surrounded by tomato wedges. It was beautiful, colorful, full of flavor and truly delicious! Thanks for getting me started and for me, it is truly the best curry chicken salad I have ever tasted!!! THANKS
Great! Thanks for letting me know Sher. I actually add a lot more curry and cayenne now too. :) And thanks for reminding me about this. I may just have it tonight! ~ karen
I've made this recipe twice and both times everyone has said without prompting "This is the best curry chicken salad I have ever had." I love the cayene cause it adds an unexpected kick and I have used canned chicken both times. No one notices. I love your blog and your recipes.
LOL. That's funny. Thanks for letting me know Luanne. ~ karen!
I used plain Greek yogurt with a dash of vinegar in Place of the mayonnaise. it was delicious I didn't even miss it
Interesting! I just made this last night for dinner and I was worried I wouldn't have enough mayo. I'll remember the yogourt for next time. ~ karen!
Awesome recipe! I've been searching for a curry chicken recipe after I had it at a coffee shop (without raisins or nuts). This is very similar, thanks for posting!
You're very welcome Deborah. Thanks for taking the time to let me know you found it. Hope it like(ed) it! ~ karen