~Amanda~
Homemade Chicken Salad is one of the all-time easiest things to make and it’s such a great thing to keep in your fridge for a quick, easy, and HEALTHY (because I use Greek yogurt instead of mayo) lunch to bring to work during the week. I love making a big batch of it on a Sunday afternoon and then Conor and I can bring it to work for lunch a couple times throughout the next week. It’s great to eat on toasted bread or pita, as a sandwich, in a wrap, as a ‘dip’ with crackers, or even on it’s own with some apple slices for a low-carb option. There are many ways to eat it so you’ll never get tired of it. I absolutely love a traditional chicken salad, but from time to time I like to spice things up a bit and make this Curried Chicken Salad. It’s similar to a basic chicken salad recipe, but you just add some curry powder and cayenne to the mixture to bring in some extra flavor and a little bit of spice.
The base of any chicken salad is obviously chicken. If you’re looking for a really quick and easy option, buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. They’re pre-cooked and so juicy and flavorful and all you have to do is bring it home and cut it up. If you have a little more time to spare, you can roast your own chicken breasts at home. This is what I generally prefer to do, as I like to just use the white chicken breast meat rather than all the different parts of the chicken from a rotisserie chicken, but it’s totally a matter of preference. Roasting chicken breasts is a very simple process; just coat with some olive oil, salt, and pepper (or a lemon pepper seasoning if you have it) and bake at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until cooked through. Let them rest for a few minutes and then cut into cubes for the salad.
Once you’ve got your chicken ready, you simply mix it in a bowl with the other ingredients; celery, green onions, red grapes, chopped almonds (or walnuts), curry powder, cayenne powder, salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Using Greek yogurt instead of the traditional mayonnaise makes this chicken salad so much healthier and basically guilt-free; It has about 1/10th of the calories and 10 times as much protein. And I think it tastes just as good, especially in this recipe with the curry because the cool tangy Greek Yogurt and warm slightly spicy curry go great together! Once everything is mixed together, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, and keep it refrigerated for up to a week. You will be so excited to have this effortless lunch all prepared for you during the workweek and you’ll save yourself calories and money over going out for takeout, and you definitely won’t be sacrificing any flavor or satisfaction.
- 3 cups cubed chicken (use a rotisserie chicken or roast some chicken breasts - see how in notes below)
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups red, seedless grapes, halved
- 1/4 cup almonds (or walnuts), chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
- Serving ideas: in a tortilla as a wrap, between toasted bread as a sandwich, as a dip for crackers, in some pita bread, or anything else you want!
- Make your own roasted Chicken Breasts: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil. Toss 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper (OR use a lemon pepper seasoning instead of salt and pepper if you have it) and place in baking dish. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until cooked through. Remove and let rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.
