Curried Chicken Salad for two

 

Everyone loves this curried chicken salad.  It is lovely and light without a cloying amount of mayonnaise in it. I find too often people overdo the mayonnaise in their chicken salads.  That is fine if it is something you enjoy, but I like to taste each ingredient that I put into my salads and so I prefer my dressings to be flavorful, but on the lighter side! (If that makes sense.)

I adapted this salad from a recipe that I discovered in a cookbook entitled, Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers.  I first discovered the book when I was working at the Manor. My American boss loved for me to make her salads from this book. The Curried Salad was a favorite, especially because of the lightness of the dressing.

 

I soon bought a copy of the book myself because there were so many delicious recipes in it and when I moved back from Canada it was one of the books that I chose to replace out of the books I had to leave behind in the U.K.  I bought it from a secondhand book site, gently used.

But back to the salad.  This is a lovely, curried chicken salad recipe. The dressing, as I said, is nice and light. Composed of a small amount of mayonnaise, some good chutney, light olive oil, lemon juice, curry powder, etc.  Not cloying or thick.

The salad itself is a delightful mix of cooked and shredded chicken, grapes, apple, chives, spring onions celery, parsley and toasted pecans.  A lot of crunch and flavor.  Simply put its quick and easy to make and incredibly delicious!  I highly recommend!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD FOR TWO

You can of course double everything to serve more people. The bits of fruit in this salad really add to the flavor and the crunch!

For the dressing:

• 1 tsp curry powder (pick your favorite. I use a medium spice curry powder)
• 1 TBS mayonnaise
• 3 TBS mango chutney (preferably Major Grey's)
• 2 TBS light olive oil
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

For the salad:

• 2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cooked and shredded (about 2 cups) (see notes)
• 2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely sliced
• 1 1/2 TBS minced fresh chives
• 1 spring onion, trimmed and chopped
• 2 TBS minced fresh flat leaf parsley
• 15 red seedless grapes, washed and halved (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 crisp sweet red apple, cored and cut into chunks (sprinkle with lemon juice to help prevent it from browning)
• some lettuce to spoon the salad over
• a small handful of toasted pecans or walnuts, broken into pieces (about 1/4 cup)

 

I just used what is known as a medium curry powder here in Canada. They don't have specific kinds, just a generic blend.  At least not where I live, which is a very rural area. Medium is not too hot, but you can still taste it.

Major Grey's Chutney has ginger added to it so it gives a nice spark to the mix. I love the flavor of ginger. If you cannot get Major Grey's, you can use any mango chutney.  I loved Geeta's Chutney in the U.K.

You can use leftover cooked and shredded chicken, or rotisserie chicken, or cook chicken specifically for use in this recipe.

The celery and apple give loads of flavor and crunch. I cut the apple into quarters and then in chunks.  The grapes were simply cut in half. (wash well first) If your grapes are really large you might want to cut them into quarters.

It is really nice if you toast your nuts first.  About 8 minutes in a moderate oven does the trick just nicely. 

HOW TO MAKE CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD FOR TWO

You can cook chicken specifically for this salad or you can use leftover rotisserie chicken, roast chicken or poached chicken. All work well!

Whisk all of the ingredients for your dressing together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Shred your chicken by hand or with two forks and place into a bowl.

Prepare your vegetables and add to the bowl with the chicken. Combine everything well together.

 

Pour the dressing over top and toss everything together to coat all of your ingredients well.

Place the lettuce into a bowl and spoon the chicken salad over top. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts and serve immediately.

 

If you need to cook your chicken rub it all over with some lemon juice, salt, pepper and a bit of oil. Place onto a baking tray, cover with some foil and then roast in an oven which has been preheated to 350*F/180*C/ for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.

Cool until it is easy to handle and the shred it either with your hands or with two forks. Leave the shreds in a nice chunky size for eating.

 

This was really delicious. I have made curried chicken salads before, and they were quite heavy on the mayo. This one was really light and delicious but still loaded with flavor and texture.

I loved all of the contrasts between the chicken and the crunchiness of the celery, the sweetness of the grapes and the crunch of the apple.  The toasted nuts were a lovely addition also.  

I served this as is on a bed of leaf lettuce. Very tasty!

  

I love LOVE chicken salads!  No surprise there as chicken is one of my favorite proteins to eat. I will usually use the breasts in salads.  They are so adaptable in taking on additional flavors, etc.  Here are a few other chicken salads that I enjoy that I think you might also enjoy!

 

CHICKEN TACO SALAD - This is the low-fat version of a popular salad, but I can promise you, you will never miss the fat! With plenty of chicken pieces, low fat cheese, and baked tortilla chips, lots of veggies, and a very tasty low-fat dressing, this always goes down a real treat!  It's just spicy enough without being over the top. You can adjust that as you will.

HONEY & SESAME CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD - With this you get a cold sesame noodle salad adorned with perfectly cooked chicken, and plenty of green crunchy tender stem broccoli. It makes for a perfect make ahead family supper for those days when you are really busy and know you won't have a lot of time on your hands. This is absolutely delicious! If you are fond of Asian flavors, you will love this.

Yield: Two servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Curried Chicken Salad for Two

Prep time: 18 MinTotal time: 18 Min

This is a delicious salad made using shredded cooked chicken, celery, grapes, sweet apple, pecans, etc. all folded together in a lush curried mango-chutney dressing. It's simply fabulous!

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1 tsp curry powder (pick your favorite. I use a medium spice curry powder)
• 1 TBS mayonnaise
• 3 TBS mango chutney (preferably Major Grey's)
• 2 TBS light olive oil
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

For the salad:

• 2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cooked and shredded (about 2 cups) (see notes)
• 2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely sliced
• 1 1/2 TBS minced fresh chives
• 1 spring onion, trimmed and chopped
• 2 TBS minced fresh flat leaf parsley
• 15 red seedless grapes, washed and halved (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 crisp sweet red apple, cored and cut into chunks (sprinkle with lemon juice to help prevent it from browning)
• some lettuce to spoon the salad over
• a small handful of toasted pecans or walnuts, broken into pieces (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions

1. Whisk all of the ingredients for your dressing together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
2. Shred your chicken by hand or with two forks and place into a bowl.
3. Prepare your vegetables and add to the bowl with the chicken. Combine everything well together.
4. Pour the dressing over top and toss everything together to coat all of your ingredients well.
5. Place the lettuce into a bowl and spoon the chicken salad over top. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts and serve immediately.

Notes

If you need to cook your chicken rub it all over with some lemon juice, salt, pepper and a bit of oil. Place onto a baking tray, cover with some foil and then roast in an oven which has been preheated to 350*F/180*C/ for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.

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