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This Curried Chicken Salad makes an easy packed lunch, and is the perfect way to use up any shredded chicken you might have on hand. It’s so flavorful!
How to Make a Healthy Curried Chicken Salad
Most traditional chicken salad recipes call for mayo, which is mostly made up of oil, so I’ve opted for an alternative source of creaminess in this recipe– avocado!
You should know that I’m not the biggest fan of avocado on its own, unless it’s featured in guacamole or avocado pudding, so trust me when I say you can’t taste the avocado in this recipe.
Paired with lemon juice, curry powder, and a touch of pure maple syrup, the avocado provides a creamy texture to this sauce, which you can whip up in a blender or food processor. (I’ve mashed it together with a fork in a bowl, too, but it’s more difficult to get a smooth result that way.)
When you combine the creamy curry sauce with shredded chicken, freshly chopped celery, green onions, and cilantro, the flavor combination is addictive!
Optional Add-Ins
It’s especially nice if you add in some raisins, for a contrast of sweetness and the extra chewy texture, but if you follow food combining to streamline your digestion, feel free to leave those out.
I think it would also be nice with some crunchy pecans or sliced almonds stirred in!
How to Serve
For a properly combined meal, serve this chicken salad over a bed of leafy greens, or wrapped in lettuce leaves for a high-protein wrap.
If food combining isn’t a concern, you can also serve this with your favorite crackers, sliced veggies, or fruit.
How Long Does Chicken Salad Keep in the Fridge?
According to the USDA, it’s safe to keep cooked chicken in your fridge for 3 to 4 days, so I don’t recommend storing this salad in your fridge any longer than that. You can safely freeze it for 2 to 6 months, but I haven’t tested that with this recipe yet, so let me know if you try that.
Ingredients
- 1 pound shredded chicken (about 2-3 cups of pre-cooked chicken)
- 2 celery stalks , diced
- 3 green onions , chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro , chopped
- 1 ripe avocado (about 7-8 ounces in weight)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Instructions
- In a large glass bowl, combine the shredded chicken, celery, green onions, and cilantro.
- To make the dressing, combine the avocado, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, salt, curry powder, and water. Blend until smooth, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, if needed to thin out the sauce. Taste and add one more tablespoon of maple syrup if you want it a little sweeter.
- Pour the dressing over the chicken salad ingredients, and stir well to coat everything evenly.
- Add in raisins if desired, then transfer the salad to the fridge to chill for 2 hours and let the flavors meld and the raisins will plump. Serve chilled.
- Leftover cooked chicken can be stored in the fridge in an airtight containerfor 3 to 4 days. (The avocado doesn't brown in that time, FYI!)
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition info above is for 1/4 of this recipe, which is roughly 1 cup of prepared chicken salad.
Recipe Notes:
- I have only tested this recipe with chicken, because I had so much leftover when perfecting my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe. I imagine it would work well with other white meat, such as leftover turkey, too.
- For a vegetarian version, it might be worth trying this sauce with jackfruit or mashing it with chickpeas, like in my Chickpea Tuna Salad. I’ll be sure to add vegetarian versions here on the website once I’ve tested them!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite way to use up leftover chicken?
I’ve made this 40-50 times (seriously!) in the past 1-1/2 years. We call it “Green Chicken” and it is a big favorite! I add raisins and walnuts. Served on a toasted whole grain sandwich round with slice of tomato and melted pepper jack cheese. Thanks, Megan!
I made this, and it’s totally delish! I omitted raisins and added a half a red bell pepper and some broken up pecans. It was so good. thank you!
Excellent, a nice option for chicken salad if one does not care for mayo.