Healthy Curry Chicken Salad
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Why I make my own curry chicken salad
Curry chicken salad has always been one of my all-time favorites. The trouble is that when I started avoiding vegetable oils, I cut out prepared salads because they’re full of conventional mayo (canola oil is usually the first ingredient).
Necessity is the mother of invention as they say… and that’s why I started to make my own. When I use a whole chicken to make my Instant Pot Chicken Soup, I’m left with a few cups of perfectly cooked chicken meat that I don’t need. That recipe is excellent by the way, and it’s full of so many hearty veggies and such a flavorful broth that you don’t need all the meat. So this is what I do with the left over chicken. I pull in several of the staples that I always have stocked with some of the produce I usually have on hand, and it’s ready in just a few minutes!
The beauty of making this at home is that you can have all the same great flavor, but by using avocado oil mayo, you’re getting a delicious and healthy fat — and avoiding a highly processed and inflammatory one.
And why it’s healthy
This is called “Healthy Curry Chicken Salad” because it has it all! There are lots of healthy fats, antioxidants, nutritious produce, some good protein, and great crunch. How many other dishes have a combination of fruit, vegetable, nuts, monounsaturated fats, and outrageously healthy spices (the superfood, turmeric, is the base of curry powder) ? This is so unique!
There’s plenty of chicken, but since I try to eat a moderate amount of meat and lots of fresh produce, I like that the apple and celery add some plant-based bulk to the salad.
This curry chicken salad is gluten-free, Whole-30 and Paleo compliant.
How I serve curry chicken salad
Curry chicken salad is a quintessentially “lunch” type of dish in my mind. When I hosted my first bridal shower, it was the first thing that came to my mind. But we have also enjoyed this for dinner on war, summer evenings when hot food isn’t all that appealing.
My go-to is to put a scoop of curry chicken salad on top of a bed of greens, but I also love it in lettuce cups, in a sandwich, pita or wrap.
Healthy Curry Chicken Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-cook
- Cuisine: New American
Description
This curry chicken salad has it all: lots of healthy fats, antioxidants, nutritious produce, some good protein, and great crunch. How many other dishes have a combination of fruit, vegetable, nuts, monounsaturated fats, and outrageously healthy spices? This is so unique! There’s plenty of chicken, but since I try to eat a moderate amount of meat and lots of fresh produce, I like that the apple and celery add some plant-based bulk to the salad.
Ingredients
- 3 Cups cooked chicken, chopped (I use half the chicken from this recipe)
- 1 Medium apple, chopped (somewhere between chopped and diced)
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1/4 Cup of sliced almonds
- 1 Tablespoon curry powder
- 3 Tablespoons avocado oil mayonnaise
- Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
This is so simple to put together!
- Whisk curry powder and avocado oil mayonnaise together until blended well.
- Fold in remaining ingredients
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed
- Determine if you like the texture. Sometimes I add in some extra nuts, another stalk of chopped celery, or a little more apple.
- If you want to thin out the salad at all, you can drizzle in some olive oil or avocado oil.
Notes
No sliced almonds? Try using chopped cashews.
No apple? Try using a crunchy (slightly unripened) pear or chopping up some dried apricots instead.
Keywords: Curry chicken salad, curried chicken salad, avocado oil mayonnaise salad
This is definitely delicious!!
★★★★★
Yes! So good – thank you!
Enjoying this protein packed salad on a bed of Dino kale! A few subs (based on what was in the pantry): used Pepitas instead of almonds, used 1/2 tbl turmeric + 1/2 tbl coriander rather than curry powder, and added 1/4 cup raisins.
★★★★★
Sounds delicious! I’m all about subbing based on what I have on hand. So glad you enjoyed and thank you for sharing!