Curried Chicken Salad Recipe (2024)

“Curry in a hurry” is what they call this easy curry chicken salad recipe. It’s great on croissants, sliced bread, butter lettuce, crackers, or sliced fruit.

What’s in this Curry Chicken Salad Recipe

What makes this salad stand apart from regular chicken salad is the woodsy curry powder. It gives the salad both a sweet and savory flavor (think cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, and cumin) that pairs beautifully with chicken, fruits, and veggies alike. The great thing about salads is you can keep adding or omitting ingredients until it tastes just the way your family likes them!

• Chicken – For this recipe, I start with a base ofrotisserie chicken, shredded. You can use boiled chicken breasts or roast chicken too. Use leftover chicken from Sunday dinner if you have some on hand.
• Red grapes – but by all means, use green if that’s what you have on hand. I just love the red color in the salad.
• Cashews – these mild nuts give the salad a wonderful texture and crunch. You can also add almonds, chopped pecans, or any kind of nut you like.
• Diced Apples – I love using tart green apples or honey crisp apples in this recipe, but any type will work.
• Golden raisins – these beauties add a delightful sweetness and taste delicious with the curry flavors.
• Diced celery – adds a tasty crunch to the dish.
• Green onions – the mild flavor of these onions pair well with the sweet ingredients while not being too overpowering.
• Sauce – A simple sauce made of mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk it all together in a large bowl and add your chicken, fruits, and veggies. Easy!

How to Make Easy Curry Chicken Salad

Take all your chicken salad ingredients and combine them in one bowl. Slowly mix it all together to enjoy a delicious salad with chicken. The flavor is a savory and tasty salad that is perfect to have by itself or spoon it on a sandwich!

1. Combine – Take all ingredients and combine them in a large bowl. You can also whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, curry powder, and lime juice together in a separate bowl first and then add to the other ingredients.
2. Stir – Use a rubber spatula to gently stir all ingredients together until well combined. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes to allow flavors to combine before serving. You can also refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Serve- You can serve the salad on its own, on croissants for chicken salad sandwiches, in butter lettuce bowls, or toss it with cooked rotini noodles to make a chicken curry pasta salad.

How to Serve the Best Curry Chicken Salad

This gorgeous salad looks pretty in a bowl on its own but is delicious served in a variety of ways. We love to make sandwiches or serve them with crackers and veggies like a charcuterie board. Serve this chicken and curry salad just the way you need it!

• Sandwich – Pile it on croissants or whole grain bread for a delicious sandwich.
• Charcuterie style – Serve it with a platter of crackers for scooping.
• Pitas – Slice pita bread in halves and stuff the chicken salad inside for a delicious pita sandwich.
• Lettuce wraps or bowls – Scoop the chicken salad into butter lettuce bowls. Use large leaves of lettuce to make lettuce wraps.
• Noodles – Toss with cooked rotini noodles to make an easy curry chicken pasta salad.

Make It Without Mayo

It’s easy to create the creaminess of a chicken salad dressing with mayonnaise. You can add extra protein by swapping the mayo out with plain Greek yogurt. Or use our deliciousPai Mai dressing recipeand add 1-2 teaspoons of curry powder. You’ll never miss the mayo!

“The combination of the curry with the classic chicken salad is AMAZING! I love how hearty and delicious this recipe is.”

-Valentina

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing Chicken Salad with Curry

It’s best to serve this curry chicken salad fresh or within a day or two of making it. You can refrigerate it or even freeze it if needed. Classic chicken salad recipe is the perfect side dish or salad to have at any given moment!

• Refrigerator – I love this salad the next day, so I always make sure to make enough to store in the refrigerator. As long as you keep it in an airtight container, it will stay nice and fresh in the fridge for three to five days. It is great to pull out as a quick snack or late-night supper.
• Freezing chicken salad – You can freeze the ingredients, minus the mayo, as mayonnaise doesn’t freeze well. Additionally, some of the fresh ingredients may not do super well in the freezer. A better idea would be to freeze the chicken, then throw the rest of the ingredients together when you want to make the dish.

More Curry Recipes

If you are a curry lover, then these recipes are just for you! Each recipe is unique in its own way but they all are delicious and full of flavor. You can’t go wrong trying one or all of these curry recipes today!

How to Make Curry Chicken Salad Recipe