Healthy curry chicken salad is a classic for a reason. The warm spices and sweet figs team up for a chicken salad sandwich with a lot of personality. Plus, it’s the kind of recipe ideal for summer when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven or stove.
To ensure that the chicken cooks through, start with cold water in step 1 and don’t use breasts that weigh more than 8 ounces or are thicker than 1 inch.
Healthy Curry Chicken Salad: Flavor Boosters
The first add-in is Orchard Choice and Sun-Maid California Dried Figs. We like mission figs for their deeper sweetness and color contrast, but you could always use golden figs which are delicately sweet, tangy, and a little bit nutty too.
Speaking of nuts, we add in chopped cashews for crunch. Toasting the cashews first adds extra flavor too.
Celery is one of those must-haves in chicken salad. It adds a crisp texture, but also a bit of salinity too. Then, shallots get minced for a savory note.
Fresh ginger not only has a juicy zinginess to it, but adds some nutrition too as it’s an ingredient that helps with digestion.
What is Curry
Adding the spice blend of curry powder is at the heart of a curry chicken salad sandwich filling. But, you may be wondering what is curry powder exactly? Curry powder is more of a description than anything else. In India, garam masala is the spice blend largely associated with the spices used in curry powder but does not include turmeric. You can find curry powder for sale in most grocery stores, or use garam masala with a pinch or two of ground turmeric.
How to serve
This salad can be served in a sandwich or as a wrap. Try it with crackers or scoop it into lettuce cups. You could also serve it spooned over leafy greens.
Healthy Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich with Figs
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, no more than 1 inch thick, trimmed, (6- to 8-ounce)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 celery ribs minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 cup Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs stemmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup raw cashews toasted and chopped coarse
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in 6 cups cold water in Dutch oven. Submerge chicken in water. Heat pot over medium heat until water registers 170 degrees. Turn off heat, cover pot, and let stand until chicken registers 165 degrees, 15 to 17 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to paper towel–lined tray. Refrigerate until chicken is cool, about 30 minutes. While chicken cools, microwave vegetable oil, curry powder, and cayenne, uncovered, until oil is hot, about 30 seconds. Whisk mayonnaise, lime juice, ginger, and curry mixture together in large bowl.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into ½-inch pieces. Transfer chicken to bowl with mayonnaise mixture. Add celery, shallot, figs, cashews, and cilantro; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. (Salad can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)