• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
A Foodcentric Life
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Living Well
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Living Well
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Living Well
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Chicken & Turkey

    Curried Chicken Salad With Grapes and Cashews

    Published: Jun 6, 2016 · Last Updated: Jun 27, 2022 · Leave a Comment

    79 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Golden creamy curried chicken salad. Classic chicken salad gets a tasty flavor twist with an Indian-inspired, creamy curry dressing, sweet red grapes and crunchy cashews. Lunch is ready! And it's easy to make ahead.

    curried chicken salad | AFoodCentricLife.com
    Golden curried chicken salad in a blue bowl with blue fork.

    Curried Chicken Salad

    After sweating my brains out in hot yoga this morning I needed a nourishing lunch. Thankfully, this curried chicken salad was waiting in the fridge when I got home. I love it when I have healthy food made ahead just waiting. No work, just eat. And the batch I made provided several lunches. The dressing is so good! I think you'll love this recipe.

    poached chicken breasts|AFoodCentricLife.com
    Chicken breasts poaching in a pot.

    How to Poach Chicken (or use leftover chicken)

    Poaching chicken is an easy, fast cooking method you should make your friend. Use boneless skinless chicken breasts. It takes about 15-18 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breasts. After poaching, cool the chicken and cut into cubes for the chicken salad. If poaching is new to you, read my post on how to poach chicken breasts. You'll see how easy it is. You can also use leftover cooked chicken.

    curried chicken salad|AFoodCentricLife.com
    Poached chicken cut into cubes for salad.

    Make the Curry Dressing

    The creamy, Indian-inspired dressing can be made ahead for the flavors to blend or made and used right away. You can make it a day or three ahead, then assemble your salad when you need to eat. I use a combination of plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt and mayonnaise. For paleo, use all mayonnaise and skip the yogurt. I use organic Vegenaise or Primal Kitchen which is avocado oil-based.

    curried chicken salad|AFoodCentricLife.com

    What is in Curry Powder (aka Curry Spice)?

    Beautiful golden curry powder is a blend of spices. While authentic Indian cooks have their own secret family blend, you can blend your own or buy one. Curry powder comes from mild or "sweet" also called hot.

    Spices that make up curry powder include turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, ginger, nutmeg, fennel, cinnamon, dry mustard, white, red or black pepper, cardamom, cloves, cayenne pepper, chili peppers and sometimes saffron. No wonder it tastes so good! Try different brands and find your favorite because they do taste different.

    About Turmeric and Curcumin

    The base for many curry powders is bright orangey-yellow spice called turmeric. Long used in Chinese and Indian medicine, turmeric contains curcumin, a powerful, natural anti-inflammatory. Curcumin has been shown to lower risk for heart disease and is a powerful tool in fighting cancer. Read more about the power of turmeric here.

    curried chicken salad|AFoodCentricLife.com
    Grapes, cashews, celery, herbs prepped for curried chicken salad.

    Curried Chicken Salad Prep Ahead Tips

    Poach your chicken 3 days ahead of time, then make your salad. You can also make the dressing ahead and refrigerate it, allowing the flavors to blend. When ready to serve, mix the chicken, dressing together with the nuts and grapes (which can all be prepped ahead too).

    curried chicken salad|AFoodCentricLife.com
    Bowl of golden yellow curried chicken salad.

    Serving Tips

    Curried chicken salad can be served in lettuce cups, over salads greens or alone. If you eat paleo, try coconut wraps.

    curried chicken salad|AFoodCentricLife.com
    Plate of chicken salad on greens with grapes.
    curried chicken salad|AFoodCentricLife.com
    curried chicken salad | AFoodCentricLife.com

    Curried Chicken Salad

    Classic chicken salad gets a tasty flavor boost with a creamy curry dressing, sweet red grapes and crunchy cashews. Read the post for make-ahead tips. Make the salad with poached chicken breast or leftover roast chicken. Serve alone, in lettuce leaves, paleo wraps or whole wheat pita bread.
    Print Recipe Rate Recipe
    No ratings yet
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 18 minutes
    Total Time: 28 minutes
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: chicken, chicken breast, Curry, lunch, salad
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 471kcal

    Ingredients

    Easy Curry dressing

    • ½ cup Vegenaise or mayonnaise
    • ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt or extra mayo for paleo
    • 2 tablespoons curry powder
    • 1 teaspoon honey
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • ½ lime juiced
    • â…› teaspoon sea salt
    • â…› teaspoon ground black pepper

    Curried Chicken Salad

    • 1 ½ pounds cooked boneless skinless chicken breast see recipe link for poaching below
    • â…“ cup chopped cashews
    • 1 large rib celery chopped
    • 12 red grapes halved
    • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro or Italian parsley

    Instructions

    Make the Curry Dressing

    • Mix together the mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, honey, cumin, lime, juice, salt and pepper. Stir until smooth. The dressing can be made ahead.

    Assemble the Curried Chicken Salad

    • Slice chicken breast into long thin pieces about ½" thick, then into small cubes about ½" thick. See photo in post for help.
    • In a medium bowl, mix the chopped chicken, grapes, celery, cashews and dressing, folding together until the all ingredient are coated. Stir in the cilantro and mix lightly one more time.
    • Serve the curried chicken salad alone or in lettuce cups, over salads greens, paleo wraps or whole wheat pita halves.

    Notes

    For how to poach chicken breasts follow this easy recipe. 
     
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 471kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 439mg | Potassium: 815mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « How to Make Poached Chicken Breasts
    Vegetable Beef Stew with Rosemary »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    chef sally cameron | afoodcentriclifecom.bigscoots-staging.com

    Hi!, I'm Sally, a professionally trained chef and health coach. Join me in living and cooking gluten-free for your best life ever!

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • Spiced Apple Pecan Coffee Cake
    • Easy Gazpacho Andaluz | Sub-Zero Wolf
    • Roasted Tomato Marinara Sauce
    • Grilled Scallops with Prosciutto
    • 10 Tips for Using Dried Herbs and Spices
    • Grain and Gluten Free Almond Flour Tart Crust

    Gluten Free

    • Green Goddess Dressing and Dip (Dairy Free)
    • Fresh Strawberry Muffins (Gluten-free)
    • Creamy Spiced Pumpkin Smoothie
    • 12 Ways to Dress Up Green Beans
    • Colorful Hearty Vegan Chili
    • Easy Instant Pot Chicken Broth

    Footer

    as seen on

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Menu

    • Home
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.