I was definitely slow to get on the curry bandwagon. In fact, I distinctly remember not liking curry spices for the first 20 years of my life. Luckily, people grow and change over time and I eventually came around to curry (thanks to recipes like quick curried chickpeas!). Now I just want to put curry in everything, like this Curry Chicken Salad!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Out of all of the recipes I’ve made with curry spices, this Curry Chicken Salad might just be my favorite. Something about the curry with the creamy mayo/yogurt dressing is just perfect! Not to mention the subtle sweetness of the raisins to balance the earthy spices and ALL THAT CRUNCH. …Mmmm.
Chicken salad is never really “cheap”, but when you get your chicken on sale, it approaches affordable. And then when you consider the fact that you can sometimes pay $10/lb. for pre-made chicken salad at the deli, this is actually quite a steal. So, even if you have to save this for a special occasion, bookmark this recipe because you won’t be sorry you did!
Mayo-Yogurt Combo Magic
I chose to use both mayonnaise and yogurt in the dressing for this Curry Chicken Salad because they each have their own unique flavor qualities that they bring to the party. Yogurt is light and tangy and is a classic pairing with curry spices, while mayonnaise offers a deep creaminess. If you need to you, you can just use yogurt or just use mayonnaise, but I’m telling you that the combination fo the two is magic. ;)
Can I Use Rotisserie Chicken for this Curry Chicken Salad?
Absolutely. If you don’t want to go through the process of cooking your own chicken breast or happen to have leftover rotisserie chicken, go ahead and chop it up and use it in this recipe. You’ll probably want about 3 cups of chopped chicken for this recipe.
Love chicken salad? You might also like Chicken Salad with Apples or Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Salad.
Curry Chicken Salad
Servings 4 1 cup eachIngredients
DRESSING
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise ($0.41)
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt ($0.19)
- 1 tsp lemon juice ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp honey ($0.02)
- 1 tsp curry powder ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
SALAD
- 2.5 cups chopped cooked chicken* ( $2.95)
- Pinch salt & pepper ($0.05)
- 2 stalks celery ($0.34)
- 3 whole green onions ($0.12)
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds ($0.87)
- 1/2 cup raisins ($0.57)
Instructions
- Make the dressing by stirring together the mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, honey, curry powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Taste the dressing and adjust the curry powder or salt if needed.
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts with a light sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook the chicken breast in either a countertop grill or in a skillet until cooked through. Allow the cooked chicken breast to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Finely dice the celery and slice the green onions. Place the green onion, celery, sliced almonds, and raisins in a large bowl.
- Chop the chicken into small cubes and place them in the bowl with the celery, onion, almonds, and raisins. Stir to combine. Pour the dressing over top and stir to coat.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
How to Make Curry Chicken Salad – Step By Step Photos
To make the dressing for the Curry Chicken Salad, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp honey, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Stir the dressing together, give it a taste, and adjust the salt, honey, or curry powder if needed (every brand of curry powder is a bit different, so you may prefer more or less). Refrigerate the dressing until you’re ready for it.
You’ll need about 2.5 cups chopped cooked chicken, which for me was two chicken breasts, or about 1.5 lbs. when raw.
Season the chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper, then cook it using a grill or in a skillet. I used a grill pate that fits on top of my range top, but you can also use something like a George Foreman Grill, or a cast iron skillet. Another easy option is to use a store bought rotisserie chicken.
Allow the chicken to cool while you prepare the rest of the salad, then chop it into small pieces.
While the chicken is cooling, you can prepare the rest of the salad. Finely dice 2 ribs of celery and slice 3 green onions.
Add the chopped chicken, diced celery, sliced green onions, 1/2 cup sliced almonds, and 1/2 cup raisins to a large bowl (I used golden raisins).
Add the prepared curry dressing…
Then stir until everything is coated in dressing. And then it’s ready to eat! I ate a bunch just by itself with a fork, but it would also be good with crackers or stuffed into a pita.
I wanted something fast, so I used canned chicken. Followed the recipe otherwise. It was delicious. Thank you for taking the time to share this recipe.
I’d give it a five but I’m not white enough. 🤷
Hi, just made this but substituted 2 cans of rinsed, drained and patted dry chickpeas for the chicken. I also pulsed the chickpeas a few times in a food processor with a couple of tablespoons of the dressing before adding it to everything else including the remaining dressing to combine. I used vegan mayo and yogurt but otherwise followed the recipe. It turned out really yum!
DELICIOUS!! I added a little more curry and lemon juice as I found the dressing a little on the sweet side. Didn’t have celery so I used celery seed, and used minced onions instead of the green onion. It was the most perfect salad!
The dressing wasn’t quite spiced enough for me, so I added extra curry powder and also 1/2 tsp of garam masala. Made it much better!
The first time I made this, I didn’t have any Greek yogurt so I just made it with Mayo and it was amazing. I told everyone how much I loved it.
THEN today, I made it as written and it blew me away all over again! Definitely doable to do without the yogurt but it adds so much to the dish. Thanks for sharing thi!
I wanted to make this, but DID NOT want to go to the store, so I subbed for what I had on hand – cashews, dried cranberries, and lime juice. It was SO good! Will buy the proper ingredients to try as written but imagine it will be just as good!
Delicious! I’ve already sent this to friends, and will be adding it to my regular rotation! I used just mayo and no yogurt (I’m dairy free and the store was out of plain dairy-free yogurt), pecans instead of almonds because I wanted to use some up, and a mix of craisins and regular raisins because that’s what I had. I still have 2-3 servings left, and already can’t wait to make more!
I was looking for a no-heat lunch for work with protein and this one fit the bill. I ate it this week on toast or on crackers and it was excellent. I used craisins and pecans instead and these worked well. I’ve already meal-prepped a second batch for next week too!