Curry Chicken Salad is going to be your new favorite spin on chicken salad. Made with easy ingredients, this salad has the best flavor and is bound to be a hit wherever you take it.
I could eat endless amounts of Chicken Curry, Beef Curry, Vegetable Curry, you name it. The flavor is perfection and just the smell of it cooking makes my heart happy. My love of curry now comes to life in the form of this delicious Curry Chicken Salad.
This recipe is a simple spin on my ever popular Chicken Salad. With just a few flavor swaps we create a new recipe that is going to be a go to for you. This is perfect for a family picnic, but it is also a great recipe to make on Sunday night to take with you throughout the work week. Eat it in pita, have it with crackers, or wrap it up in lettuce leaves for a light low carb lunch.
Chicken Salad
How to Make Curry Chicken Salad
This curry chicken salad recipe comes together in under 30 minutes and would make a great light summer dinner. For the full recipe including all measurements and ingredients, please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Mix the main ingredients. Combine the cooked chicken, grapes, green onions, and almonds in a large bowl.
- Make the sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper in a small bowl. Taste and add more pepper if needed.
- Combine the sauce with the main ingredients. Stir the dressing into the main ingredients.
Curry Powder
Curry Powder is a combination of spices that is used in some South Asian cooking. It was created by the British to replicate the flavors of Graham Masala, a mix of Indian spices. Generally, curry powder includes coriander turmeric, mustard, cumin, fenugreek, paprika, cayenne pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.
I get asked all the time if curry powder is spicy. This will depend on the curry powder and the amount of cayenne pepper it contains. Most contain some but not enough to be super spicy. In this chicken curry salad recipe, very little is used so this dish does not contain much heat. My kids are very sensitive to spice and they still love my Chicken Curry and Vegetable Curry.
How to Make Shredded Chicken
Cooking chicken for this or other recipes is very simple and takes less than 20 minutes. Another great idea is to keep Frozen Shredded Chicken on hand. This recipe calls for three cups of cooked chicken, which is about one pound of chicken breasts when they are raw.
- Place the chicken in a saucepan with enough water to cover it.
- Bring the water to a boil and simmer over low heat for 4 to 10 minutes or until the chicken registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant read thermometer.
- Shred chicken using an electric hand mixer or two forks.
You can also use your Instant Pot to make shredded chicken or use a rotisserie chicken. Sometimes I like to buy several, shred them, and freeze them to have on hand for simple chicken recipes.
Freezing Cooked Chicken
Serving
I love to serve curried chicken salad on a pita or naan bread. You could also eat it with crackers or any other bread or bun for a yummy chicken salad sandwich. It would make a great wrap or, for a low-carb and gluten-free option, a lettuce wrap like my Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftover salad in an airtight container for up to three days. If this curry chicken salad with grapes sits out for more than two hours, throw away any leftovers.
I do not recommend freezing chicken salad in general. Because it contains mayonnaise, you likely won’t be happy with the texture after thawing.
Other Great Picnic Recipes
If you are looking for other great recipes to bring to a picnic or potluck, consider some of these tasty options:
If you try this curry chicken salad recipe or any of my others, please leave a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
Curry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken chopped (see notes in the post for how to cook shredded chicken)
- 1 cup red grapes cut in half
- 2 green onions diced small
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, red grapes, green onions, and almonds.3 cups cooked chicken, 1 cup red grapes, 2 green onions, 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste being careful to start out with just a little.3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Stir the dressing into the main ingredients.
- Serve right away or store in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. Please note that if this salad sits out for more than 2 hours, the leftovers should be thrown away.
Melissa says
Made this today with some leftover chicken – absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!😊
I’m so glad you liked it!