This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
If you’re bored with your regular chicken salad, try this one! It’s made with curry powder, which adds loads of flavor and hides the creamy avocado inside. (Hence, why this salad doesn’t look green.)
I originally posted this recipe 7 years ago, but I recently took new photos to make sure it’s just as delicious as I remember. And luckily, it is! I added some sliced almonds for crunch this time around, and made it faster to prepare in one bowl, but this recipe is easy to customize with any add-ins you have on hand. Plus, it’s oil-free and dairy-free!
You can serve it in lettuce wraps, with your favorite crackers, or enjoy it directly with a fork! It will keep well in the fridge for several days, so it’s also perfect for an easy packed lunch this week.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“I’ve made this 40-50 times (seriously!) in the past 1-1/2 years. 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!” – Bob
Curried Chicken Salad Ingredients
- Cooked Chicken. This recipe assumes you’ll start with 1 pound of cooked chicken breast. (Weighed after it’s cooked.) This is about 2 large breasts. I poached mine for this recipe, but you can also make shredded chicken in the Instant Pot.
- Avocado. Instead of mayo, this recipe relies on avocado for creaminess. If you’re new here, you should know that I’m not the biggest fan of avocado flavor, so I try to hide it well in most of my recipes. It’s no different here! Once you add the curry powder, the avocado flavor goes almost entirely unnoticed.
- Veggies. Celery and green onion add texture and flavor to this healthy chicken salad recipe. But you can also add in any other veggies you like! (I think chickpeas would be a fun addition for extra fiber, too.)
- Lemon Juice. This helps brighten the salad and balances the avocado flavor.
- Fresh Cilantro. I think every salad needs a fresh herb element, and cilantro tends to pair well with curry-flavored things. Use as much or as little as you like!
- Pantry Spices. Curry powder and salt provide tons of flavor to this creamy chicken salad. If you want to add some black pepper, that works well here, too.
- Raisins & Almonds. These are optional add-ins, but I love the contrast of textures and flavors. Sometimes I use cranberries or pecans, too.
How to Make Curried Chicken Salad
Step 1:
Scoop 1 avocado (about 7-8 ounces) into a large bowl, along with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt, 1 tablespoon of curry powder (I use Simply Organic brand), and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Use a fork to mash the ingredients together until the mixture resembles a slightly chunky purée.
Add 1/4 cup of water and mix again. This will help thin the dressing so it coats the chicken and veggies better.
Step 2:
Want to save this for later?
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
To the dressing bowl, add 1 pound of cooked and shredded chicken, 2 diced celery ribs, 2-3 chopped green onions, and a half cup of freshly chopped cilantro.
Stir well until the ingredients look well mixed. Then add in 1/2 cup of raisins (or cranberries) and 1/2 cup of sliced almonds, if desired. Let the salad rest for at least 10 minutes so the flavors can meld.
Before serving, taste the chicken salad and make any necessary adjustments. Sometimes I want to add another tablespoon of lemon juice or maple syrup. You may also need to add another 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Note: The seasoning will vary each time because the avocado size and flavor can vary. So just keep tasting and adjusting until you’re happy with it.
Serving & Storage Tips
Curried chicken salad can be served just like any other chicken salad recipe. It’s delicious with crackers or in a lettuce wrap, or you can eat it straight with a fork directly from the fridge. (I do the latter a lot.)
Cooked chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, so be sure to enjoy it all in that time frame.
Curried Chicken Salad with Avocado (No Mayo!)
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado (about 7-8 ounces in weight)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice , or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt , plus more to taste
- ¼ cup water
- 1 pound shredded chicken (about 2-3 cups of cooked chicken)
- 2 celery stalks , diced
- 3 green onions , chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro , chopped
- ½ cup raisins or cranberries (optional)
- ½ cup sliced almonds (optional
Instructions
- In a large glass bowl, add the avocado, lemon juice, curry powder, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, and salt. Use a fork to mash the avocado until it looks relatively smooth. Then add the water and stir again to thin the dressing.
- Next, add the shredded chicken, celery, green onion, and cilantro. Stir well so that everything is evenly coated in the dressing. Then add the dried fruit and nuts, if using.
- Taste the salad and make any necessary adjustments. You'll likely need to season it with more salt (I start with ¼ teaspoon at a time), and you may want to add another tablespoon of maple syrup or lemon juice. As soon as you're happy with the flavor, you can enjoy this right away. But, it will become even more flavorful after it chills in the fridge so the flavors can meld.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Thanks to the lemon juice, the avocado won't brown in that time frame.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
- Tuna and Chickpea Salad (High in Protein & Fiber)
- Baked Chicken Breasts
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Greek Chicken Meatballs
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like it.
Delicious but i definitely added more salt. Im going to try it with jalapenos next time!
We love this recipe. My husband requests it!
Mix the dressing with my immersion blender in deep bowl. Use less curry as the Penzy curry packs a lot of flavo. Have not waited 2 hours to eat- yummy
I made a vegan version of this with dry-fried finely julienned firm tofu. I used a mixture of cilantro and basil because that’s what I had on hand, and substituted applewood smoked maple syrup for the plain maple. I also included the raisins.
It was excellent! The raisins add a welcome pop of sweetness that balances out the the spice and creaminess.
I think it was better eaten by itself than on toast (tried it both ways) because the bread dulled the flavors too much. I also warmed some of the leftovers up and tossed in bite-size pieces of pan-fried tortilla for a chilaquiles-esque meal, which worked surprisingly well.
OMG this is an amazing recipe and I made it as I had left over chicken from your chicken burger recipe. My husband loved it soo much he finished it all in one go. I just want to say thank you soo much for your website because it has been a life saver in these difficult times of isolation. P.S your banana bread is also amazing.
I made this with canned jackfruit for a vegetarian version and it’s amazing! I also subbed a few things b/c I didn’t have them on hand (I used a white onion instead of green onions, honey instead of maple syrup), and added chopped pecans. I highly recommend using the jackfruit! It works like a charm. 🙂
Excellent flavor combination! My husband and teen boys loved it! Thank you, Megan, for another wonderful recipe!
I made this with 2 cans of mashed chickpeas, some yellow onion and some celery for a plant based version and its really good, but my sauce came out considerably more green than yours so it doesn’t look very appetizing and I’m not sure why!
In any case, it’s really nice over some toast with tomato slices!
this looks amazing! Will def try.
We love this recipe. My husband requests it!
Mix the dressing with my immersion blender in deep bowl. Use less curry as the Penzy curry packs a lot of flavo. Have not waited 2 hours to eat- yummy
Definitely going to give this a try with jackfruit this week! I’ll try to remember to come back and let you know how it is. 🙂
Yes, please do! Make sure you rinse the jackfruit off really well to remove as much of the brine as you can, and you’ll probably want to use a lot less salt than this chicken version. Maybe start with only 1/4 teaspoon and then add to taste!
I had leftover chicken to use up today, so I tried this for lunch. Yum! The raisins really take it up a notch, and I swapped the cilantro for parsley because that’s what I had. Will definitely be making this again!