Healthy Curry Chicken Salad

Don’t have time to throw together a slow-simmered curry dish? This healthy curry chicken salad is here to bring you deeply delicious flavor in a fraction of the time.

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What is chicken salad?

Wikipedia helpfully reminds us that chicken salad is “any salad with chicken as a main ingredient.” This is great to point us in the right direction, but the question about what actually constitutes a chicken salad is much like the question of what constitutes a chili: you’re going to get different answers depending on who you ask.

Despite the fact that people have *opinions* about chicken salad, there are some common through-lines in your standard chicken salad recipe. There’s the chicken, of course, and usually some kind of binding ingredient (often mayo or mustard) and a host of other yummy treats for flavor and texture.

One good idea would be to check out my original chicken salad recipe to get one (good!) take on a healthy chicken salad.

Healthy curry chicken salad

Many things in life, including my mood, are improved by the spices in curry. The mix of sweet, savory, and spicy just brings a huge depth to a dish.

Can you add curry to chicken salad?

I’m convinced that chicken salad might be the ultimate vehicle for curry flavors in a quick-to-make context. This curry chicken salad comes together in a flash, but enjoys the flavor of your favorite curry blend. Plus, it’s pretty darn healthy, as chicken salads go.

Curry chicken salad ingredients

It doesn’t take much to pull off this healthy curry chicken salad—a good, fresh curry powder does most of the heavy lifting. Here’s the rundown:

For the Salad:

• shredded chicken 
• celery (chopped) or apple
• red onion (diced)
• raisins
• cashews (chopped)

For the Dressing:

• plain greek yogurt
• honey
• lemon juice
• curry powder
• cayenne pepper
• sea salt

How to make healthy curry chicken salad

The great news is that, once you’ve gathered your ingredients together, you’re most of the way finished with your curry chicken salad. This is a great reason to keep an organized kitchen! Here’s how you make this healthy curry chicken salad:

• Add the chicken, celery, red onion, raisins, and almonds to a bowl. Mix well. 
• In a separate bowl, add the greek yogurt, honey, lemon juice, curry powder, cayenne, and salt. Mix well. Taste test & adjust seasonings if desired. 
• Pour the dressing over the salad into the large mixing bowl. 
• Stir until the dressing has coated all the ingredients. 
• Enjoy!

That last step is crucial, but it’s not hard to do, either. Enjoy that chicken salad, and then rate and review below (*wink*)!

Why is my chicken salad dry?

It would be easy enough to answer “you aren’t using enough liquid!” and then call it a day at the office. If I can actually venture to give some helpful advice on this, one of the big variations in the moisture level of your chicken salad might be coming from the chicken itself.

If you use canned chicken, you may spend some time pressing some of the excess moisture from the “brine” that the chicken was stored in. But exactly how much you do this will affect how your final product turns out. If you’re cooking and shredding fresh/frozen chicken for this recipe, you can run into some similar variation depending on your cooking method.

If you’re getting your shredded chicken to a bone-dry point and then your salad is too dry, you might try leaving a little bit of the water before you make it next time. That, or upping the amount of “dressing” you use. Once you find a golden ratio, write it down!

What can I eat chicken salad with?

Toast. Crackers. Rolls. Chips. Lettuce wraps. Straight up, with a spoon. With a spork. Etc.

Those are just off the top of my head!

How to store chicken salad

This curry chicken salad keeps well in a Tupperware container for up to 5 days in the fridge. I haven’t experimented with freezing chicken salad (mostly because I eat it all), but if you try that, let me know how it works. I’m curious.

Is chicken salad healthy?

This is the part of the recipe where I explain that most things can be healthy depending on context. But this recipe really does take some steps to improve upon the nutritional makeup of classic chicken salad recipes.

The biggest change is the decision to replace what’s usually a full-fat mayonnaise with plain greek yogurt. Yes, it works. Yes, it’s still very delicious. It also adds a good deal of protein.

The whole thing is sweetened with a touch of honey and it makes for a great addition into a thoughtful nutrition plan.

Looking for more recipes?

Why not try one of these Jordo’s World staples:

• Healthy Broccoli Salad
• Summer Orzo Pasta Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake

Can I have the recipe?

You can find the whole recipe below. If you like it, please consider rating it and sharing it with some people you love. I appreciate it so much!