This Curried Chicken Salad features flavorful curry chicken, crisp summer veggies, and crunchy cashews. Plus, a kick of heat from homemade jalapeno mango chutney! A mouthwatering, light, and healthy summer meal. This salad recipe is a perfect way to use up leftover chicken, too. Grain free, paleo and meal prep friendly.
Now that we know what chutney is, let’s use it in a recipe! Curry Chicken Salad with Mango Chutney to be exact!! I know, two exclamation points because I’m that excited. You’re welcome.
But while we’re on the subject of nerdy food talk and Indian style dishes, let’s talk curry. I’m just full of food knowledge these days, aren’t I? Kidding, kinda.
Exactly what is curry anyway?
Because the word has multiple meanings, curry confuses some people. Is it a dish, a spice, or a plant?
Actually, curry is ALL of these things!
CURRIES
Chicken curry is a popular dish made with vegetables and chicken in a rich gravy. Curries can also be made with fish or other types of meat. They are very popular in Indian and Asian cuisine.
A few of my favorite CC curries!
CURRY POWDER
Then, there’s the spice. Curry powder is actually a blend of ground spices that may or may not include curry leaves (that’s the plant).
Curry powder recipes vary in ingredients, but the common ingredients in a curry powder are:
- cumin
- coriander
- dry mustard
- turmeric
- ginger
- black pepper
BONUS –> These spices are all ANTI-INFLAMMATORY! A must-add to your diet. In my humble opinion. 😉
A few of my favorite CC recipes that use curry powder:
Okay, so not to get all word-nerdy on you, I do have a real point here.
Case and Point –> There IS a difference between chicken curry and CURRIED chicken (otherwise known as curry chicken). So remember, if you see curried or curry before the word chicken it means you’re adding the curry spices.
And yes, if want to go down a rabbit hole about chicken and curry, just ponder this… Are we making chicken salad or a salad with curried chicken? Hahaha! Either way, we’re making a dish that’s light and lovely and oh so flavorful!
OK, no more learning new words. School is out for the summer, so let’s make a healthy salad instead!
Ingredients for curried chicken salad
This delicious and healthy Curried Chicken Salad features healthy fresh veggies, crunchy cashews, chicken, and spicy curry sauce to make this salad a creamy “chicken salad.”
To make the spicy chicken salad part, you simply mix the curry spices with paleo mayo or yogurt, homemade spicy jalapeno mango chutney, and grilled or roasted chicken. Bam! It is so good!
This recipe is light, refined sugar free, and great for utilizing leftovers and summer produce! Plus, it’s great for meal prep, too.
Other ways to serve this Curried Chicken Salad:
- On toast, with gluten free crackers, or veggie chips
- In a gluten-free sandwich (roll, bun, or bread)
- Paleo tortilla or GF tortilla
- Homemade Naan Bread (Vegan, Paleo)
- Tossed with quinoa or any other gluten-free grain (rice, millet, etc.)
- In a lettuce wrap or cabbage leaf
Curried Chicken Salad with Spicy Mango Chutney
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
Description
Curried Chicken Salad with Spicy Mango Chutney – Paleo friendly and Meal Prep friendly!
Ingredients
Curried Chicken Salad with Chutney
- 8 ounces chicken (roasted, baked, or grilled chicken breast – sliced)
- 4–5 cups leafy greens
- 1 /2 cup to 1 cup sprouts or microgreens (optional)
- 1/3 c to 1/2 c peeled and diced mango (or 1 small green mango peeled)
- 2/3 cup diced celery
- jalapeño or other pepper of choice (around 1/4 c to 1/3 c sliced and de-seeded)
- 1/2 c plain yogurt or paleo mayo
- extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- 1/3 c spicy chutney – I used my quick jalapeño mango chutney recipe
- 1 lime – reserve 1 tbsp juice, then cut into wedges
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 ounce roasted or raw cashew nuts (halves or whole)
- Garnishes: herbs (cilantro), diced green onion (stem portion), optional lime wedges, peppercorns
Instructions
TO PREP
- First slice your chicken (cooked) into 1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces. If using rotisserie chicken, you may shred it into strips. Place in a bowl and set aside.
- Prep your produce: Clean the spinach and sprouts/microgreens, peel and dice mango and peppers, etc. Place greens, mango, and peppers in a large serving bowl.
Curry and Chutney Sauce for the Chicken:
- In a small bowl, mix the paleo mayo or plain yogurt with chutney, curry powder, pinch of sea salt and black pepper, and lime juice. Taste and adjust spices to your liking. If you are using a thick Greek yogurt, you might want to mix in 2 tsp or so of olive oil to thin it out.
- Next spoon the curry chutney sauce over the chicken and toss all together. You can use as much or as little sauce as you’d like. Adjust as needed. Save extra sauce in sealed jar in fridge for later (meal prep option).
- Place your chicken salad mix on top of the bed of spinach, sprouts, mango, and peppers (jalapeños). Garnish with cashews, herbs, onion, lime wedges, peppercorns, and any extra sauce you’d like.
Notes
- Paleo option, use my refined sugar free chutney recipe and paleo mayo recipe or store bought paleo mayo that uses olive oil or avocado oil.
- Meal prep – Prep greens and mango and place in containers. Mix the chicken with curry sauce and keep in separate container until ready to use. Store in fridge for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 15
- Category: salad
- Method: mix
- Cuisine: american Indian
Keywords: salad, chicken, curry, salad, paleo, meal prep, gluten free, healthy, chicken salad
Are you feeling smarter about curry and curry powder now? Haha, life goals complete! But in all seriousness, this no cook chicken salad has me loving the summer vibes! Sending all the summer salad vibes to EACH of you through the screen. Mwah!
Cheers,
LC
