Inspired by my friend Amy Bishop with Greenbrier Farms (an organically run farm in S.C.), I am excited to share this tasty curry chicken salad recipe with you today. Chicken salad is traditionally made with mayo and unfortunately mayonnaise isn’t exactly a real food. The store bought versions are typically made with refined oils and also contain more than 5 ingredients. The homemade versions are more “real food approved” but oftentimes call for raw eggs, which I am on the fence about, plus we eat mayo so infrequently I don’t feel (for me personally) it’s worth the time to make it from scratch. So I’ve tried substituting plain yogurt in dishes like chicken salad, egg salad, and deviled eggs without much success because, frankly, I think plain yogurt is rather plain tasting and the flavor – or lack thereof – was a little too overwhelming in these dishes. So I was thrilled to be introduced to the idea of adding curry to chicken salad, because curry has such a wonderful flavor it totally makes up for what the yogurt is missing.
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Curry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken (cooked and shredded)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup cilantro (loosely packed, just the leaves)
- 3 tablespoons almonds (toasted, slivered, or sliced (optional))
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Serve on crackers (ak mak crackers pictured above) or bread and store leftovers in the fridge.
Mayo is made with eggs, a few spices, and oil (I use olive oil). Does this not make it a real food?
Hi. This will clarify: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/04/17/real-food-condiments-do-they-exist/.
What kind of curry powder do you recommend? There are so many types when I go to the store!
Hi there. Just look for an organic version. :) Frontier or Simply Organic are pretty easy to find.
Is there a brand/type that aid best for chicken salad?
I have bought a few and they all have different flavors.
Is there a brand/type that is best for chicken salad?
I have bought a few and they all have different flavors.
I really like the Simply Organic.
I love this recipe, but I always add a bit of honey– I think it pairs well. Today I tried it as an egg salad instead of chicken and served it on lettuce leaves for my lunch. It was REALLY tasty!
Yesterday I made your chicken in a crockpot. Today I made the broth and tonight I made the chicken curry. Thank you for all the great ideas!!!!!
I added grapes to mine, but that’s just because I love grapes and that’s how my Mom always made hers. It was fine without! :)
Much better than a mayo version! Thanks so much!
We are dairy intolerant and wondering what to substitute for the plain yogurt. would you recommend vegan mayonnaise as a substitute or another condiment?
I have never had much luck with curry either. What type/brand of curry do you use?
thanks for the great information on your site!!
Hi Debbie. You can now find both coconut milk and almond milk yogurts. One of those might work though we’ve not tried. Sun Brand Madras Curry is a tasty curry. ~Amy
Hello. A quick question – what about not getting iron from meat due to its mixing with milk protein (I’m sure that I’m not speaking fluent Chemical language, and I am deeply sorry in advance, but i am also sure you know what I am talking about.) Simply, I am trying to combine meat with soya or oat milk, yogurt etc, even though it is rarely more tasty…
Hi there Anja. There is evidence that milk proteins can interfere with iron absorption but I am not sure what you are asking…? :)
Adding sliced grapes and/or coconut sweetens this and keeps it real.
Just made a batch. I sampled and it is delicious! Can’t wait to see how it is later after the ingredients merry for a few hours! Thanks!
Loved this!
Have you ever looked at Vegenaise? made with grape seed oil – tastes better than mayo with same consistency
Hello Amy. Nope, we have not used Vegenaise. Here is a post on condiments that gives more information: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/04/17/real-food-condiments-do-they-exist/. ~Amy
MMM.. I made with with greek yogurt (all I had on hand) and a little bit of mayo. Added grapes and didn’t have cilantro. It was still sooooo yummy!
Crock Pot chicken (my first time making a whole chicken) was out of this world!!! Thanks so much for the recipe!
I love making this recipe, and always add in halved grapes to it. I wrap them with whole wheat tortillas, and add a thin layer of mixed greens on the tortilla first. I hate salad, and am always trying to find a way to mix my greens in without making my life miserable. lol.
Thank you for webbing this recipe. I recently had curried chicken salad for the first time and was/am hooked, but the ingredients looked iffy. Then saw your recipe and I am thrilled to use yogurt instead of mayo. Know your recipe will be used to create a wide range of curried delights.
Thanx and God bless you and yours
EK
A made this salad for an afternoon ladies lunch and everyone wanted the recipe! So simple and so good.
A terrific addition to this classic are grapes cut into halves (or quarters if feeding this to small kids). Delicious! I love curry chicken salad!
Just made this and am thrilled! So yummy and so simple to make. I used two organic boneless skinless chicken breasts. Tastes rich and fantastic! Thank you for the recipe.
I made this for lunch today with leftover crock pot chicken and let me just say it was awesome! My 2 year old devoured it on pita bread and I enjoyed it over salad greens. Thanks for the great recipe!
For the vegetarians use chick peas instead of the chicken–put it in your food processor. I also use chick peas for a faux tuna salad too. Tastes awesome!
I can’t wait to try this…I always hated Mayo anyway but I never thought to use yogurt instead. I am a big cracker snack fan and love ak mak cracker now! Thanks again for another great recipe!
Commercial mayo not be a real food, but homemade mayo is. And it’s easy. I have not problem eating mayo when I make it myself – soooo much tastier than store-bought. I also don’t use mayo very often, either, but if you make it yourself it is easy to make only enough for your immediate needs. Or, if the amount from one egg yolk is still too much, add about a half tablespoon (1.5 teaspoons) of whey to it and it will keep in the fridge for two months or so.
And I read your reasons for not liking homemade – add a little bit of bovine gelatin powder to it (yeah, it’s processed because it has to be removed from the bones, but it’s still better than store bought mayo) and it will fluff right up. (^_^)
I tried this recipe last night for my last night of the 10 day pledge, with a broccoli and carrot slaw mix that one of the local farmer’s sold at the market and it was amazing on crackers.
LOVE that you are on the curry bandwagon! My kids (youngest now 22) grew up with curried chicken salad! Said youngest was the ONLY one in his foods class in high school who knew what curry was…..the teacher was actually astounded that he did and asked how he liked to eat it. Chicken Salad, of course!! We like to scoop with tortilla chips though! Or wrapped in some tasty organic Romaine! A wonderful hot-weather meal! Also, I recently discovered Curried Chickpeas…with spinach! A wonderful COLD-weather meal!
This is a great meal but sorry I would have to throw out the eggs and mayo. I have this meal planned for the weekend and will add the juice of a lime, three teaspoons of brown sugar, some crushed ginger and half a chilli from the bush in my back bedroom.
This is really good but I think a few raisins in it would make it outstanding. Would just add a little bit of sweetness!
Love the simple ingredients! I’m not a mayo fan so it’s great to see you use yogurt. What would you suggest to replace the chicken with for vegetarians?
Hi Diana. Perhaps you could try eggs? ~Amy
I made this today for lunch – YUM YUM YUM!!!!
We don’t eat chicken, but I love doing this with egg salad, and using a hefty squirt of grainy mustard in it, too. PS-finally got to watch you girls on Dr. Oz. Awesome job, and adorable dresses. Fighting Kraft agrees with you both! :)
PPS-think we could get them to change their slogan from “The Cheesiest” to “The Sleaziest”?
http://www.mondaysnugget.com/