Menu Musings of a Modern American Mom: Curried Chicken Salad

Our family has recently undergone quite a few changes, including an interstate move. That necessitated among other things, closing down the cafe and moving away from our favorite Indian restaurant. Lol. (It's the small things that get you.) Well just the other day, my 9 year old and I were collaborating on a food plan and somehow ended up settling on curried chicken salad. He said this wasn't "real" Indian food, but it would at least do for lunch.

This recipe is a balance of savory, sweet, crunchy and smooth. Nothing in here is processed, and I've tried to keep it very healthy. I'm also using rotisserie chicken to speed things along for a fast prep. The funny thing is that when he came down and saw cranberries in the bowl, his face blanched and he was super disappointed. It was all I could do to get him to try it. I felt like it was straight out of an episode of Green Eggs and Ham from Dr Seuss. I won! He tried it and conceded, "You're right. It's good." YAY!! The savoriness of the curry plays so nicely with the sweetness of the cranberries and apples. "Try it, try it, you will see..." 😀

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Ingredients (4-6 servings)

2-3 c cubed cooked chicken

I used meat from a rotisserie chicken

3/4 c chopped apples

I used a Pink Lady apple

3/4 c dried cranberries
3/4 c plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 large rib finely chopped celery
1 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 -2 tsp good quality curry powder
6 sprigs fresh cilantro, rinsed/dried/coarsely chopped
1/4 c light sour cream
1 tsp kosher salt
black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
*optional 2 tsp sliced almonds lightly toasted

Not added in these photos because my guest was allergic to nuts

Step-by-Step:

Nothing to this but to combine all the ingredients! Feel free to use whatever leftover cooked chicken you'd like, or make your own. I saved time in this recipe by picking up a rotisserie chicken. I also swapped out mayo for the very healthy Greek yogurt - nonfat and lots of protein. Have fun with this and enjoy!

2-3 cups cubed cooked chicken

3/4 cups dried cranberries

3/4 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1 large rib celery chopped fine

3/4 cup chopped apple (pink lady)

1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 - 2 tsp good quality curry powder (start with 1 tsp and add more to taste)

6 sprigs cilantro leaves coarsely chopped

1 Tbsp green onions, chopped

1 tsp kosher salt (+ black pepper to taste)

1/4 cup light sour cream

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

My little boy was adamant that we serve our curried chicken salad on naan, so we did. But feel free to have yours on crackers, on a bed of lettuce, on a croissant, as a wrap, or however the mood strikes your fancy.