This Curry Chicken Salad is creamy, colorful, and full of bright, sweet-savory flavor from mango, grapes, lime, and curry. Homemade mayonnaise and curry powder take it to the next level, while roasted chicken and crunchy cashews make it delicious over crisp lettuce or piled onto sandwich bread.
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🍇 The Ingredients
The ingredients come together in a creamy, sweet-savory salad with plenty of crunch and a bright, gently spiced finish. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and variations) below.
📝 Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken: Bone-in, skin-on breasts roast up juicy and flavorful. You can use boneless breasts or rotisserie chicken; just adjust the cooking time or skip the roasting step.
- Mayonnaise: Homemade mayo gives the dressing an extra-creamy, fresh flavor, but your favorite store-bought mayonnaise works well, too.
- Curry powder: Homemade curry powder adds wonderful aroma and depth. Store-bought curry powder is a convenient substitute.
- Yogurt: Plain yogurt balances the richness of the mayo. Greek yogurt makes the dressing thicker; thin it with a little lime juice if needed.
- Mango and grapes: These add juicy sweetness. Swap in diced apple, sliced grapes, or another firm, sweet fruit you enjoy.
- Cashews: Roasted cashews bring a satisfying crunch. Toasted almonds or pecans are good alternatives.
Refer to the recipe card (with video) below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
📌 Tips and Tricks
- Roast the chicken until it reaches 165°F at the thickest part, then let it cool before removing the meat.
- Dice the chicken and fruit into similar-sized pieces for an easy-to-eat, evenly mixed salad.
- Let the salad chill for at least 1 hour so the flavors have time to meld.
- Add the cashews just before serving if you’d like them to stay extra crunchy.
- Taste the dressing before tossing, then adjust the lime juice, curry, salt, or honey to suit your preference.
- For the best texture, fold the dressing into the chicken and other ingredients gently, just until everything is coated.
👩🏼🍳 How to Make Curry Chicken Salad
- Step 1: Roast the seasoned chicken breasts until an internal temperature of 165°F is reached. Once cool, cut into bite-size pieces.
- Step 2: Peel the fresh mango and use a large, sharp knife to carefully cut into bite-sized chunks. Or, use thawed frozen mango.
- Step 3: In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the yogurt, lime juice, honey, ginger, salt, pepper, and curry powder.
- Step 4: In a large bowl, gently combine the chicken with red onion, mango, grapes, and cashews.
- Step 5: Fold in the dressing until fully combined and coated. Chill for at least 1 hour, covered.
- Step 6: Serve over a bed of green leaf lettuce on sandwich bread.
🍽️ How to Serve
- Spoon the chicken salad over a bed of crisp lettuce for a light, refreshing meal.
- Pile it onto sandwich bread, croissants, or toasted rolls for a satisfying sandwich.
- Serve it in lettuce cups for a low-carb option.
- Offer it with crackers or sliced vegetables as an appetizer or easy lunch.
- Pair it with fresh fruit, a simple green salad, or a homemade soup for a more complete meal.
🙋🏽♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make Curry Chicken Salad ahead of time?
Yes! Prepare it up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. For the best crunch, stir in the cashews just before serving.
How long does Curry Chicken Salad last in the refrigerator?
Store it in an airtight container and enjoy it within 3 to 4 days. Keep it chilled, and don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Can I use leftover or rotisserie chicken for Curry Chicken Salad?
Absolutely. Use about the same amount of cooked chicken, remove the skin and bones, and dice or shred the meat before mixing it with the dressing.
Can I adjust the curry flavor in Curry Chicken Salad?
Yes. Start with a little less curry powder for a milder flavor, then taste and add more until it’s to your liking.
😋 More Amazing “Best-Ever” Salad Recipes
Ready to make the best Curry Chicken Salad in the world? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a picture, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and #HowToFeedaLoon!
Curry Chicken Salad
Curry Chicken Salad is so fresh and explodes with flavor. Be sure to roast your chicken in the oven and then diced. If you're up to it, why not try homemade mayo and homemade curry powder! It truly takes this dish to the stratosphere. Yum!!
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Servings: 8 people
Calories: 469kcal
Video
Ingredients
For the Roasted Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts split, bone-in, skin-on
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
For the Salad
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon lime juice fresh
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup red onion chopped (about a cup)
- 1 fresh mango peeled, pitted and diced, about ⅔ cup.
- 1 cup red grapes seedless, halved
- 1 cup salted roasted cashews roughly chopped
- 1 cup lettuce for garnish – optional
- 8 sandwich rolls croissants, ciabatta, etc – optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Rub the chicken pieces with oil and sprinkle them all over with salt and pepper. Place on a baking rack on a lined baking sheet and roast for 50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Set aside until cool enough to handle.2 chicken breasts, 2 tablespoon olive oil, Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and dice the chicken into large bite-size pieces, about ½"x½".
- In a medium bowl, make the dressing by mixing together the mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, lime juice, honey, ginger, salt, and pepper.1 cup mayonnaise, ½ cup plain yogurt, 3 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- In a separate, large bowl, add chicken, onion, mango, grapes, and cashews.1 cup red onion, 1 fresh mango, 1 cup red grapes, 1 cup salted roasted cashews
- Add the dressing in increments, starting with about ½ a cup, gently stirring as you go. Depending on how much chicken you have, you'll most likely need about 1 to 1½ cups of the dressing. Add more or less as per your own desired consistency
- Cover with plastic wrap, or put in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight. The longer it sits, the more the flavors will meld. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
- Serve over a bed of lettuce greens, or as sandwiches using your favorite sandwich bread.1 cup lettuce, 8 sandwich rolls
Notes
NOTE: Watch the video in the recipe card for visual guidance.
The roasted chicken can be made up to 1 day in advance. A rotisserie chicken works well, too. If we use a rotisserie, we usually use two chickens.
Be sure to know the heat level of the curry powder before adding it to the dressing. Our homemade curry powder is mild, but many other types may be spicy. If too spicy, start with just one tbsp, taste, and add more, if desired.
We love serving this to guests over a bed of lettuce, with sliced croissants or ciabatta rolls, and allowing them to make their own sandwich.
The salad definitely gets better after it’s had time to sit in the fridge for a day.
Nutrition
Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 819mg | Potassium: 509mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe? Take a Picture!Mention @HowToFeedALoon or tag #HowToFeedALoon!
POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in May 2014, but updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new photography, tips, and a fabulous new video!
WJL says
AHHHHHHHH-MAZING!! The homemade curry powder makes such a difference! Also, the fresh fruit and nuts makes me feel like I’m on vacation eating super expensive resort. Y’all need to make this!
Kris Longwell says
Woo hoo!!!
Patti says
I plan to make this tomorrow! Don’t have mango but gonna use diced Granny Smith apple. And pile it on a fresh croissant!
Debi & Russ says
Hi Guys!
Did you change your video format? I can no longer play them (on my older computer) since your previous curry powder post. Disappointed 🙁 Oh, wait. My husband is able to play it (on his brand new computer) but had to reload the blog post to do so. Also, when trying to go full screen it stops playing. What up wit dat?
btw, I am also married to a Norwegian, I feel your pain.
~Debi