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YES, you read that right, 10 minute, I repeat, TEN MINUTE curry chicken salad!!!!!!
This curry chicken salad is here for your busy weekday lunches, your lazy dinners, or your summer picnics, or pool side parties or potlucks. It’s just here for you whenever you need a 10 minute meal that you know will be anything but boring.
The secret to a chicken salad in 10 minutes?! Use a store bought rotisserie chicken.
Yes, I am not above paying a little extra for someone else to cook me a chicken. I mean I am saving myself like 45 minutes of cooking said chicken so that I can then make a curry chicken salad in only 10 minutes! In life, and in the kitchen, we all need the occasional short cut to keep us happy and sane and this is one of those times.
And trust me when I tell you that this curry chicken salad doesn’t taste like it only took 10 minutes to make. It tastes pretty darn amazing, if you ask me. Tender shredded chicken coated with a creamy curry sauce. Plump juicy raisins are studded within the chicken salad for that savory sweet combo. A pinch of cayenne pepper to add a hint of spice to the flavor complex: sweet, savory, and spicy – the best! Crunchy celery, also a must in all chicken salads – it’s the law! And slivered almonds for even extra crunch and a bit of sweet nuttiness.
Because we all need some sweet nuttiness in our life, right?! (lol)
Of course you can cook up your own chicken in the oven, or on a pan, or on the grill, or whatever you would prefer – then shred it and make this curry chicken salad as instructed. Go for it, you do you.
For me, I will stick to my time saving short cut, TYVM!
The second trick to keeping this curry chicken salad fast and easy to make is by removing the skin from your rotisserie chicken and shredding or chopping it up while it’s still warm. Yes, I know it’s tempting to do it later, but it’s so much easier and faster to get all that chicken off the bones while it’s still warm.
From there you mix up the curry sauce, toss in the rest of the ingredients and you are good to go. Lunch is ready all week long!!
You can eat this curry chicken salad in lettuce cups or lettuce wraps as shown in the photos. Or you can put the curry on bread and turn it into a sandwich, or put it in a wrap for a curry chicken salad wrap. OR you can simply eat it plain, right out of the bowl. This is Paul’s favorite way to eat it, which is surprising because given the opportunity he will almost always opt for bread.
This curry chicken salad was created on a whim. A rush to prep an easy lunch that Paul could take to work and eat, and that I could enjoy at home all week long. I fell in love and had to share.
Paul started a new job a few weeks ago. His previous job had a flexible schedule, he was able to come home for lunch most days. Now, he is taking a work to lunch. Our busier mornings have prompted me to think of meal planning and meal prepping in a way I haven’t needed to before.
Curry chicken salad, you saved the day from rushed made cold cut sandwiches that quickly bore me to an exciting lunch waiting for me (and Paul) to be enjoyed, one that we look forward to. And all it took me was 10 minutes earlier in the week to make. Just can’t get over that number!!!
I have made this curry chicken salad a little lighter and healthier by swapping a good amount of mayonnaise for some plain fat free Greek yogurt. I prefer the mix of the mayonnaise and yogurt for the best flavor and creamy texture.
Also, you are getting tons of antioxidants and health benefits from the turmeric that’s in the curry powder. BONUS POINTS!
Curry chicken salad, you rock my lunch world!
We have been enjoying curry chicken salad for lunch all week long, three weeks in a row, and haven’t gotten sick of it. That’s a lot coming from me lol. But as I mentioned before it would also be great for the summer. Bring it to picnics, pool parties, pot lucks.
It can be made a day or two in advance and it travels well. These are recipes I am always keeping in mind to bring to Paul’s side of the family gatherings since they live 1 hour away.
Oh, curry chicken salad I love you so. How I wish I would have eaten you for lunch today and every day from this day forward.
More easy chicken recipes that are great for meal prep:
- Instant pot whole chicken
- BBQ chicken stuffed sweet potatoes
- Mexican salads in a jar with healthy ranch dressing
- curried chicken salad in cantaloupe boats
- easy chicken enchilada casserole
10 Minute Curry Chicken Salad
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- Author: Emily Koch
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 5 to 6 1x
- Category: chicken, entree, easy, 30 minutes, healthy
- Cuisine: gluten free
Description
Curry chicken salad is perfect for parties or even a make ahead lunches. Chicken is in a creamy curry sauce with sweet raisins, crunchy celery, and crunchy almonds. Perfect for meal prepping.
Ingredients
UnitsScale
Curry Sauce
- 3/4 cup fat free, plain Greek Yogurt (see notes)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1.5 tablespoons curry powder
- Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Chicken
- 3 cups previously cooked and cooled chicken, chopped, or shredded (see notes)
- 2 large celery sticks, chopped
- 3/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
Options for serving
- Lettuce for lettuce cups: romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or butter/bibb lettuce work great
- bread, for sandwiches (gluten free, if needed)
- wraps, for sandwich wraps (gluten free, if needed)
Instructions
- Make the sauce: To a large mixing bowl add the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, curry powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Finish: To the bowl with the sauce add the cooled chicken, chopped celery, raisins, slivered almonds – stir to combine. Taste and adjust any seasonings as needed.
- To serve: You can eat this chicken salad immediately but it is better after it has chilled in the fridge for 2 to 5 hours. To serve you can either eat it as a lettuce cup/wrap (as shown in the pictures), or you can use the chicken salad to make a wrap or sandwich. Or you can simply eat it plain with a fork. It keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
Yogurt and mayonnaise: To cut down on fat I use some Greek yogurt and some mayonnaise but you can omit the Greek yogurt if you prefer.
Chicken: I like to use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I remove the skin an shred it right when I get it home, while it’s still warm – the meat comes off super easy when it’s warm. Allow it to cool before making the chicken salad.
Other options: you could use leftover chicken from a previous recipe or you can cook chicken breasts in the oven and allow them to cool. If you do this than be sure to add 30 to 45 minutes of cook time onto the recipe. Or you can use leftover chicken from my instant pot whole chicken recipe.
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