Curry Chicken Salad
Our Curry Chicken Salad recipe is a delicious twist on a classic! Everything you love about a chicken salad with grapes, but also packed full of curry and turmeric flavor, perfect for a sandwich, a lettuce wrap, or just on its own!
Just in time for your final summer get-togethers this weekend, but also a classic that’s welcome all year long, our Curry Chicken Salad recipe! Inspired by one found on Bainbridge Island during a recent girls’ getaway, this is a classic chicken salad with grapes and so so much more. Just the right amount of curry, some turmeric and ginger to balance, and all the right textures thanks to some crisp apple, toasted almonds, and celery. This chicken salad recipe is as good as a classic – but with an absolutely delicious twist!
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken Breasts – White meat is the best for this recipe (and most chicken salads), which is why we use boneless chicken breasts, simply boiled. Although you can also use some precooked rotisserie chicken, too.
- Almonds – The perfect nutty crunch! Sliced almonds are the best for this recipe because they add all of the right amount of texture and flavor, without being too much crunch from a full almond or a big chunk of chopped almond.
- Grapes – Red grapes are our preference for this recipe mainly for the aesthetics of the color contrast. Plus red grapes are sweeter than green grapes, which can be a bit tangy, which could add an unexpected flavor of an unripe grape.
- Celery – Just a little, again for texture. Plus, is it really a chicken salad recipe if it doesn’t have any celery?
- Apple – Just a little bit of green apple for some tart crunch!
- Sour Cream and Mayonnaise – The base of the creamy dreamy dressing! We love to add a little sour cream to our creamy dressings because it adds just a little added tangy flavor.
- Spices – Curry (duh), Turmeric, Ginger, and Salt. Altogether, they create a beautiful balance of flavors!
So Easy to Make
Poach Chicken, Mix Dressing
If you’re not using pre-cooked chicken, then it’s so easy to give your chicken breasts a quick poach. This will make the perfect chicken for this curry chicken salad recipe, but it will take at least 10-15 (hands-off) minutes. During that time, whisk together all of your creamy dreamy dressing ingredients by adding it all to a bowl and giving it a good mix.
While the chicken is poaching is also a good time to chop your veggies and give those almonds a quick toast!
Add Everything to a Bowl and Mix
Isn’t that just the best when that’s an instruction in a recipe? Add it all and mix. That’s it! Once you have your chicken (cubed), veggies prepped, almonds toasted, and the dressing made, then just toss it all together and give it a good mix!
Done! An incredibly flavorful, easy to make, side that can be served in so many ways, our Curry Chicken Salad!
One of our favorite ways to serve this chicken salad with grapes is in lettuce wraps with butter lettuce because we’ve been obsessed with lettuce wraps this summer, thanks to our Sweet Sesame Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Instant Pot Gochujang Chicken Lettuce Wraps, and Shrimp Ceviche Lettuce Wraps. But the options are endless!
Ways to Enjoy It
- As an appetizer with Ritz Crackers or Saltines From Scratch
- As a sandwich on Dan’s Como Bread or our Classic White Bread
- As a crostini with our Easy Crusty French Baguette
- Just on its own with a spoon or as a charcuterie board accompaniment!
No matter how you enjoy it, trust me, you’re going to love it!
Recipe FAQs
Short answer, yes, of course you can. However, for a classic chicken salad, white meat is the preferred meat because it has a milder flavor than dark meat and it tends to be a bit firmer. That makes it the best to lend itself to the delicious flavors in this curry chicken salad recipe.
While you can use all mayonnaise (btw, have you made your own, yet?) sour cream offers such a great added flavor. You can also use Greek yogurt, too.
Definitely! This is a great way to prep some lunches for half of the week or to make the night before a get-together.
No, of course not, but toasting the almonds makes them just a little crunchier and brings out their nutty flavor.
Ready for another chicken salad that’s unlike the norm? Try our Apple Fennel Chicken Salad, too! Or try our mock tuna salad – our Avocado Chickpea “Tuna” Salad!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Curry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts or 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup red grapes
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup celery diced, approximately 1 large stalk
- 1/4 cup green onions diced
- 1/4 cup granny smith apple diced
Dressing
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise approximately 2.5 oz
- 2 tablespoons sour cream approximately 1 oz
- 1 1/2 teaspoons curry
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Poach chicken by adding chicken breasts to a pot of water and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until chicken is fully cooked to at least 165° F.
- Meanwhile, add all dressing ingredients to a bowl and mix well and set aside. Chop celery, green onions, and green apples and add to a medium-sized bowl with grapes.
- Heat a small pan over medium heat and toast almonds for 1-2 minutes, turning often to ensure they do not burn and add to the bowl with celery, onions, grapes, and apples.
- When the chicken is done, cube and add to a bowl. Add dressing and mix well.
- Serve in sandwiches with crackers, or in lettuce wraps.
Delicious!
So happy to hear you agree, Annie! 😀 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review
Such good flavour! Can’t stop making it.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoy it, Amy!
I used pork because that is what I had. A lean cut of pork makes this just as well as chicken breast meat in my opinion. I added a 1/2 tsp of cardamom to balance the pork. It was fantastic!
Yum! Thanks so much for sharing!
I made a version of this today (minus the fruit) and LOVED every little bite. My husband NEVER eats chicken salad. However, he tried a little taste from the bowl and said this recipe has the power to change his position on chicken salad going forward. Thank you for a great meal and creating something my family can all agree on!!!
This is so great to hear, Dixie!! Thanks so much for sharing!
This was absolutely delicious. The the only thing different from the recipe was I didn’t use celery because I hate it. Aside from that I copied the recipe and loved it. I’ll be making this many times.
Great to hear, Diana!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Made it this weekend and it was so good. Only had green grapes, but still really good. New favorite chicken salad!
Love to hear it, Lynn!! Thanks for sharing!
We loved this curry chicken salad. It was easy, fuss-free, and delicious. It will go into our rotation. Thanks so much for your recipe.
So great to hear, Jenny! Thanks so much for sharing!
I love salad so much and this one looks delicious.
I am going to make this for my parent, and I am sure they will love this.
This sounds delicious! I love a good chicken salad recipe, but have never tried a curry chicken salad before. Excited to give it a try!
This was divine. I doubled the recipe to feed a large crowd and all were pleased.
Wonderful to hear, Jean! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂