Curried Chicken Salad
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This curried chicken salad is a perfect blend of savory, sweet, and a little spicy, with a satisfying crunch from grapes, cashews, and celery.
I originally shared this curried chicken salad on my salad column on Serious Eats in 2011. All these years later, it remains one of my favorites. Savory, sweet, and a little spicy—with lots of fresh crunch from grapes, cashews, celery, and scallions—it’s wonderful over greens, piled into a sandwich, or even as a lettuce wrap. The creamy dressing is flavored with curry powder, a blend of spices like coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom, to name just a few. I recommend using poached chicken to make the salad, but roasted chicken breasts or a rotisserie chicken work just as well.
Table of Contents
“I have been making chicken salad for years and this is the best of all my recipes!”
What You’ll Need To Make Curried Chicken Salad
- Mayonnaise: Creates a creamy base that holds the salad together. The mayo also adds richness to the overall flavor.
- Sour Cream: Lightens up the mayonnaise with a tangy note, contributing to a more balanced and smooth texture.
- Curry Powder: Infuses the dish with a deep, warm spice blend that gives the salad its distinctive curried flavor.
- Honey: Sweetens the dressing to balance the savory curry and sour lime juice, creating a more complex flavor profile.
- Lime Juice: Adds brightness and acidity, cutting through the richness of the mayonnaise and enhancing the fresh taste of the salad.
- Cooked Shredded Chicken: Provides the protein and substance for the salad, making it filling and satisfying. See recipe note for specific guidance on cooking the chicken.
- Celery: Adds a crisp, refreshing texture that contrasts with the creamy dressing and tender chicken.
- Seedless Grapes: Introduces a burst of sweetness and juiciness, complementing the savory and spicy elements of the dish.
- Scallions: Offers a mild onion flavor with a hint of sharpness, adding complexity without overwhelming the other ingredients. They also add a pop of color to the salad.
- Cayenne Pepper: Provides an optional touch of heat for those who like a bit of spice.
- Cashews: Adds a rich, buttery crunch with a slight saltiness, providing texture and a savory balance to the sweet and spicy notes.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, curry powder, honey, lime juice, and salt.
Whisk to combine.
Add the chicken, celery, grapes, scallions, cashews, and a pinch of cayenne pepper, if desired, to the dressing (if not serving immediately, hold off on adding the cashews so they stay crunchy).
Toss well, and then taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. (If using a rotisserie chicken, be careful when mixing so that it doesn’t fall apart too much.)
Chill the curried chicken salad until ready to serve.
Make-Ahead Instructions
This salad can be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Wait to add the cashews until right before serving, otherwise they will get soft.
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Curried Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1½ tablespoons honey
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 lime
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 4½ cups cooked shredded chicken see note
- 3 large stalks celery diced
- 1 cup seedless grapes halved
- 3 scallions, light and dark green parts, finely sliced
- Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- ⅔ cup salted cashews
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, curry powder, honey, lime juice, and salt.
- To the dressing, add the chicken, celery, grapes and scallions. Toss well to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning, adding the cayenne pepper, if desired. Cover the chicken salad with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve. Right before serving, stir in the cashews (adding them at the last minute ensures they stay crunchy).
- Note: I use poached chicken for this recipe. If you'd like to use roasted chicken, you'll need 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the chicken breasts skin-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done. Let cool. (You may also use a rotisserie chicken.)
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This salad can be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Wait to add the cashews until right before serving, otherwise they will get soft.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
Comments
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I just made this for the second time and absolutely love it!! The curry and honey combination with the sour cream and mayo is perfection! My husband wanted to lick the bowl! If I could give it 6 stars I would.
This is absolutely delicious! Perfect exactly as written.
This was one of the few recipes I’ve made where I didn’t change anything. Absolutely delicious.
perfect. I was skeptical about the celery so started with just a little but it was a great addition. The crunch contrasted with the soft grapes. Excellent. And yes the curry sounds like a lot but it is spot on perfect. Pecans would also be good here. Enjoy.
I would like to serve this as part of a simple buffet for a church dinner ( 30 people approx). I had thought of serving it with bread and/or new potatoes, but what else would you suggest? It is quite a rich recipe so a green salad? or tomato salad? I have many salad meals but most of those would be too rich or too many flavours I think. Thank you for your advice.
Hi Christine, I like the idea of bread or new potatoes because both are fairly simple flavor-wise so would pair nicely with the rich chicken salad. A fruit salad would be good here too. Hope that helps!
loved this recipe!!! Thank you!!
My cousin makes the best curried chicken salad, but the recipe is a secret. I’ve been searching for a recipe that tastes as good as hers and I found one that’s better! I love this recipe and so does my mom, who hates anything else with curry in it. Thank you for sharing this. I’ll definitely be trying more of your recipes!
Perfect! I used boneless chicken thighs grilled on the George Foreman grill.
What other nuts can be used in exchange for cashews?
Any nut you like would work here (although peanuts may be a little odd :). Enjoy!
OK, so I made this recipe today but I did not have cashews so I used pecans. It still came out great. I can’t wait to try it with cashews.
Thank you Jenn!!!!!!!!
Hi Jennifer could you please check the quantity of curry in this recipe? It lists 1 1/2 tablespoons but I’m wondering if it should be 1 1/2 teaspoons instead? Thanks
Hi Carla, I know it’s a lot, but the measurement is correct. Feel free to reduce the amount if you’d like.
This is absolutely delicious! I’ve made it several times now – even for people who “don’t like curry” – and it’s been a hit with every person who has tried it!
It’s an excellent choice for a picnic or at the beach.
Keep up the great work! Chef Jenn 🙂