Crunchy Curried Chicken Salad

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A brilliant make-ahead curried chicken salad balanced with tart apples, sweet raisins, and finished with cilantro, this is one you will make over and over!

Summer is officially here, and with it comes the make ahead food that I can throw together and keep in the fridge ready for a quick meal whenever one is needed.

I love that it actually gets BETTER the further ahead I make, as the curry flavor really does develop while it hangs out in the fridge.

If you love this, you’ll love my Classic Chicken Salad Recipe, too!

Weekends are typically pretty hectic around here, and sometimes it’s a struggle to remember we have to eat! We were sitting out by the pool watching the boys play, and realized we’d not only skipped breakfast (the kids ate cereal), but that it was almost lunchtime and we were starving.

The husband did a quick rummage in the fridge and came running outside excitedly asking “is this for me? did you make this for me?”

Well, no, dear I didn’t. However, help yourself… haha. I had made it earlier in the weekend, and had forgotten about it.

Man, it really does hit the spot though. The spicy but not blazing hot curry is balanced perfectly with the sweet/tart-ness of the granny smith apple, and the crunchy celery – and then the chewy little raisins, and the fragrant cilantro – all in one mouthful.

I think I’ll be making this in triple and quadruple quantities to keep on hand over summer.

We were devouring this poolside when we were busted by our 3 year old who demanded to try it. Unfortunately for us, he is quite a fan, and he pretty much hung out by us waiting to be given more bites until it was all gone.

Oh well, guess I’ll just make more? It’s SO easy – I mean – look at these ingredients!!

Ingredients:

• MAYONNAISE – I use 1/2 cup mayonnaise – but you can switch some of it out for greek yogurt instead!
• CURRY POWDER – I use a madras curry powder, but any kind will do!
• WATER
• CHICKEN – see below on how to cook chicken for salad, if you aren’t using leftovers! Cut into bite-sized pieces.
• APPLE – I use a tart, crisp Granny Smith apple – because it goes so well with the sweet flavors of the raisins
• CELERY
• RAISINS – I use golden raisins for this.
• CILANTRO – a pop of freshness, don’t leave this out!

How to make this recipe:

1. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, curry and water until well combined.
2. In a large bowl, add the chicken, chopped apple, celery, raisins, and cilantro.
3. Mix the dressing into the chicken mixture.
4. Do a quick taste test, and add salt and black pepper to taste (I use about ½ tsp each of salt and pepper).
5. Chill, until needed.
6. Devour.

FAQs and Kylee’s Notes

• Red onions and green onions are great additions to this recipe
• Grab some lettuce leaves and make lettuce wraps!
• lime or lemon juice can be used to brighten this – about 2 tsp will do it!

HOW TO COOK CHICKEN FOR A SALAD:

It’s super easy. I typically use leftover rotisserie chicken, but whenever I have a hankering to make this, here’s what I do:

Poaching
Add chicken breasts, a little salt and pepper and enough water or chicken broth to cover the chicken to a saucepan. Heat to a simmer, and cook until chicken reaches 165F. Cool completely, before dicing.

Instant Pot
Season chicken breasts, and add to instant pot (use the trivet).Add 1 cup of water or chicken broth to the pot. Cover, seal and set to high pressure for 10 minutes. Do a quick release. Cool completely before dicing.

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