Curried Chicken Salad

The blog took a break last week for a quick trip to Florida. It was so cold on the beach, we couldn’t wait to get back to Nashville. We did – and it snowed. Bad luck all the way around, but at least the snow was pretty and short-lived and now the spring flowers are putting us all in the mood for summer. I guess that’s why, when my son requested Chicken Curry for dinner, I decided to turn it into Curried Chicken Salad – it felt more like spring. It was a bold move. 

Chicken Curry is a favorite around here. It’s based on a recipe my mom’s best friend brought back from a trip to Hawaii and it’s still the best (You’re Grown – Now You Can Cook, p. 76.) We serve it a lot for parties, it’s great for letting guests enjoy “doctoring it up” with condiments. Sometimes shrimp stands in for chicken. Any way you make it, it’s good so making a Curried Chicken Salad that everyone would like was a challenge. The first step was deciding what to include.

Pineapple is a favorite for my husband so that was easy, apples and celery added crunch, and grapes were hanging around so why not? The chicken looked kind of bland but I pan roasted it instead of just boiling, it was just as easy and added more pizzazz. 

The next step was the dressing. Weighing it down with a bunch of mayonnaise seemed counterproductive to a nice springy salad, mixing part mayonnaise and part yogurt together added tang and kept the dressing on the light side. Lemon juice, curry powder, ginger, and a little garlic salt were the perfect seasonings. I thought about chutney, but in the end decided that could be part of the fun condiment “doctoring it up” deal. The condiment selection could have been greater, but cashews, sliced green onions, and chutney were what made it to the table and it was just perfect. I served it on a bed of lettuce with some yummy Tiny Cheese Biscuits (You’re Grown – Now You Can Throw A Party, p. 18) on the side. Even the picky husband went back for seconds and I don’t just mean the biscuits. This is a great way to enjoy curry as a salad supper. Add this recipe to your collection and give it a try. You’ll love it!

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients

2 ½ lb chicken breasts, cooked, chopped in bite size pieces (Pan roast if desired: spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Salt and pepper chicken breasts and saute about 3 minutes on each side over medium high heat. Add about 2 Tbsp of sherry or white wine – cover pan and remove from heat. Let sit 15 minutes. Note: if chicken breasts are very thick – cut in half before cooking.)

Optional condiments: cashews (any nut you like) chopped green onion, chutney, raisins, shredded coconut, bacon bits

Directions

Make the dressing by combining mayonnaise and yogurt with curry powder, lemon juice, garlic salt, and ginger.

Stir in chicken, pineapple, celery, apple, and grapes.

Let the salad sit for about 15 minutes to absorb flavors.

Serve on lettuce with assorted condiments.

Enjoy!