Classic Curry Chicken Salad is quick and easy, made with cooked chicken, apples, almonds, and raisins, ready in minutes!
There’s nothing like a cold salad either as a side dish or the main course, like our favorites Macaroni Salad, Crab Salad (Seafood Salad), Classic Chicken Salad and Classic Tuna Salad.
CURRY CHICKEN SALAD
Curry Chicken Salad is the perfect quick and easy lunch or dinner recipe, made with chicken, mayonnaise, and spices mixed in with almonds, raisins, apple pieces, and celery. The curry spice adds the PERFECT combo of sweet and savory with the fruit, along with a crunchy texture from the almonds.
There are a lot of different ways to make curry. I like to use a more mild version, but you can get as spicy as you’d like here. Make this ahead for quick lunches during the week, or as an easy dinner!
HOW TO SERVE CURRY CHICKEN SALAD
Curry chicken salad can be served as a sandwich (my favorite is on a croissant sandwich) or wrap (or lettuce wrap), on top of salad greens, a cored out tomato or tomato slices, or with crackers. I’ve also just eaten this all by itself.
If you’d like you can even warm the chicken salad slightly in the microwave and serve over roasted vegetable and Chinese Steamed Rice.
HOW LONG WILL CHICKEN SALAD KEEP?
Curried Chicken Salad will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing chicken salad, as it will not defrost well.
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HOW TO MAKE CURRY POWDER
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, this will add a spicy flavor)
Mix everything together. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. I usually make a bigger batch of this, then store it in a jar in the pantry to use all month long.
You can change this curry powder depending on your own taste. There are a lot of different curry powder recipes out there, and you can also buy them pre-made.
WHAT ELSE CAN I ADD TO CHICKEN SALAD?
There are a million different ways to make chicken salad, here are a few ingredients that would go well with the curry version.
- Red grapes
- Red onion
- Cucumber
- Sour cream
- Mint or Cilantro
TIPS FOR MAKING CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD
- You can peel the apple or leave the apple skin on, depending on your preference. If you plan on dicing the apples ahead of time, toss them with a tablespoon of lemon juice or lime juice to keep them from browning.
- If you don’t want to cook the chicken, you can cut up a rotisserie chicken, discarding the skin and bones.
- Garnish with fresh herbs or chopped green onions before serving.
- This recipe uses sliced almonds but you can use any chopped nuts you like, consider pecans, cashews, pistachios, or walnuts.
- Lighten up this recipe using low fat mayonnaise and lean chicken breasts, or boneless skinless chicken thighs. You can also substitute half of the mayo with pureed avocado for healthy fats.
- Add extra protein and less fat to this recipe but substituting Greek yogurt for the mayo.


Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked chicken , chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup celery , chopped finely
- 1 apple , diced (fuji, golden, or granny smith are fine)
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
Instructions
- Mix chicken, mayonnaise, curry, salt, pepper, celery, apple, almonds, and raisins together in a serving bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Recipe says:
1/2 celery, finely chopped
Do you mean….
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
Yes! Recipe corrected
I can’t believe how delicious this looks. I would love this on toast, as a wrap, or just by itself in a bowl.
Can’t go wrong with any of these!
I made this for lunch and it was amazing! I loved all the flavors combined and the crunch from the apples and almonds were perfect.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Quick and easy with so much flavor! Delicious!
Thanks, Jamielyn!
Chicken salad is our favorite salad! The addition of curry makes it irresistible!
It’s such a great combination!
This sounds amazing!! I can’t wait to try this recipe!!
I hope you enjoy it!