My chicken salad recipe is legendary. It always get compliments, people request it for special occasions….it’s just damn good.
But lo and behold, I actually make *two* really good chicken salad recipes. And after a summer full of the traditional one, the hubby has started requesting the alternate: curry chicken salad.
Spicy, tangy, savory, sweet — it’s delicious. If you’ve ever had Whole Foods curried chicken salad from their to-go bar, this is similar, but I think mine is better. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
- Boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed or shredded
- Green onions, finely chopped
- Celery, finely chopped
- Slivered almonds
- Craisins, rough chopped
- Mayonnaise
- Curry Powder
- Tumeric
- Rice Vinegar
You’ll notice I don’t add amounts there. And that’s because it’s too difficult to say exactly — you want to just eyeball it until you have the right moistness and flavor mix. A lot of it is personal preference, too.
First, you cook the chicken. You can boil it in chicken broth, or roast it in the oven. Either way. Cook it, then into the food processor and pulse it until the chicken is in bite-sized pieces. But be careful here: you don’t want to overshred it, or it will take on a tuna salad like consistency.
Once you’ve cooked your chicken, put it in a container and chill it for at least 2 hours. While that’s happening, you can make your curry sauce. The mix here is essentially 1 heaping tablespoon of curry powder, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric for each cup of mayonnaise. Mix it all together, tasting as you go, and get it to your own specifications. Note that at this stage, the curry sauce is likely to taste somewhat grainy, but this will die down when added to the chicken.
Finally, once your chicken is cool, combine it with the curry sauce and add all your remaining ingredients. In the end, you want it to be moist enough to bind everything together, but not a whole lot more. (It’s less moist than the traditional chicken salad.)
Then, as tempting as it might be — do not eat your creation. You technically *could* eat it at this point, but it will taste oh-so-much nicer if you wait until the flavors have had a chance to meld, and 6-8 hours in the fridge will work wonders on this dish.
Serve with crackers, on bread for sandwiches, or in a salad. Enjoy!
