There was a time when I went months without having chicken salad.
The boycott happened after I got food poisoning from our local grocery store’s chicken salad. I don’t know if it had been left out too long or if the chicken was undercooked, but whatever was in it did not sit well with me at all.
Needless to say this experience left a pretty bad memory of chicken salad in my mind. I didn’t want anything to do with it for a long time. I didn’t like the sight of it, and I definitely didn’t like the smell of it. Despite this, my mom was willing to give the grocery store a second chance. One day she brought it home and used it to make a sandwich for lunch. All I could do was cringe when I saw her spread it over the bread. What can I say … I was a little kid. And little kids are impressionable. Things stick with them harder than they stick with adults sometimes I think (maybe it’s because adults have a lot more to think about — who knows!).
I’m happy to say however, after months of food therapy (kidding), I was able to start eating it again. I only had one stipulation: it had to be homemade.
Since that experience, I’ve spent years perfecting recipes for many variations of homemade chicken salad. One of them being this Curried Chicken Salad, which I recently developed for Snap Fitness. It’s a great way to mix things up and add some new flavor to a dish that can be a bit lackluster sometimes. Together the grapes, golden raisins, cashews and curry makes this variation of chicken salad simply irresistible.
This curried chicken salad is a perfect make-ahead dish for lunches or a quick dinner. Top over a bed of lettuce, make a sandwich or eat it alone for a delicious, sweet and satisfying meal! How would you serve up this chicken salad?
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon curry
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup red grapes, halved
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 1/3 cup cashews
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
- Add the chicken breasts and reduce heat to medium-high.
- Cook chicken for six to eight minutes until chicken is cooked through (time will depend on the thickness of the chicken).
- Place the chicken on a cutting board and allow it to cool, then cut into bite size cubes.
- In a large bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry, and turmeric until combined.
- Add the chicken, red grapes, celery, golden raisins, and cashews and mix until everything is coated in the curry dressing.
- Serve with a salad and avocado or use for sandwiches!