Cashew curry chicken salad uses just a few ingredients, is full of crunch, and boasts a wonderfully warm spice flavor. Delicious served hot or cold, this easy recipe is a great choice for using up leftover cooked or rotisserie chicken.
This curry chicken salad recipe isn't anything groundbreaking, but it continues to be in our regular dinner rotation even 9 years after first posting it here on the blog. Needless to say it needed a little photo upgrade!
Most of the time this is what I make for dinner the night I bring home a rotisserie chicken.
Reasons to Love Curry Chicken Salad
It has SO many qualities worthy of a weeknight meal recipe:
- it's quick to make
- it uses mainly kitchen staples (with ingredient wiggle room)
- it's just as good eaten warm or straight-from-the-fridge cold
- it can be served lots of different ways: on a green salad, a sandwich, a wrap, in a bowl by itself...
It's one of those recipes that has you excited to eat lunch the next day because you can't wait to dig into the leftovers. That kind of good. 🙂
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken: You'll need roughly 4 cups of shredded chicken to make curried chicken salad, but there's even wiggle room on that measurement. If using a rotisserie chicken I won't even measure, rather I'll just use all of the meat, white and dark. Chicken breasts or thighs you cook yourself will of course work, too. Shred or chop finely.
- Mayonnaise: I use lite mayo but any kind you prefer is fine. Plain Greek yogurt is a good substitute for all or a portion of the mayo if you'd like more tang (like I do in these healthy chicken salad lettuce wraps), as is sour cream.
- Vinegar: This provides an acidic note that matches up nicely with the creamy chicken salad dressing. Apple cider vinegar is my preference, but red wine, white wine, champagne vinegar, or even white vinegar are all good.
- Celery: For crunch.
- Onion: White or red onion, for more crunch.
- Curry Powder: This is the most impactful ingredient and brings a warm and earthy flavor. A pre-mixed blend of various spices, standard supermarket curry powder or a slightly spicer Jamaican-style curry powder are equally delicious.
- Cashews: Their salty, almost creamy taste works well in a creamy, cold chicken salad. These can be omitted to be nut-free.
What else?
Recipes like this inherently have plenty of room for you to mix and match ingredients. Feel free to substitute in or add some of the following in line with your chicken salad tastes:
- Sliced or slivered almonds, in place of the cashews
- Freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, in place of some of the vinegar
- Grapes, sliced in half
- Dried cranberries (craisins) or raisins
- Finely-diced apple
Easy Recipe Instructions
Prep Ahead - While this isn't an exceptionally long recipe from start to finish, two parts of this curry chicken salad recipe can be prepped ahead: shredding the chicken and whisking together the dressing.
1. Prepare the Chicken
- Rotisserie Chicken - Use the dark and white meat from one rotisserie chicken. Either discard the skin or slice it into small bits and incorporate them into the mixture for extra flavor. Keep in mind that rotisserie chicken comes in a variety of seasonings (some of which may not mesh with curry chicken salad), and that the skin can be fairly salty.
- Chicken Breasts - You'll need about 2-2.5 pounds of raw chicken breast. For time purposes I use the Instant Pot if I'm cooking chicken breasts at home for use in shredded chicken recipes. You can see my method listed out in one of our Game Day favorites, healthy buffalo chicken dip. The paddle attachment of a stand mixer makes quick work of "shredding" it.
- *Big Shortcut* - The lengthiest part of this recipe is shredding the chicken. I've noticed Costco sells refrigerated packages of pre-shredded chicken.
2. Combine All Ingredients
Whisk together the dressing ingredients (mayo, vinegar, curry powder, salt, and pepper), add the chicken, celery, onion, and cashews, and give everything a big stir.
Take a taste and adjust the seasonings before serving. This curry chicken salad is great served warm, at room temperature, or chilled right from the fridge.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Serving Suggestions - Add a big scoop to a leafy green salad, serve in large butter or Bibb lettuce leaves to make lettuce wraps, wrap in tortillas for extra-portable chicken salad sandwiches, or serving on fresh, crusty bread for an open-face sandwich.
- Storage - Store leftover salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Can You Freeze Chicken Salad? - I would not freeze this recipe as the mayonnaise-based dressing will change in texture after it's been frozen and thawed. Add-ins like the celery, onion, and cashews will also soften and lose their appealing crunch.
Related Recipes
While the first two are self-explanatory, curry powder plays a delicious role in my creamy chicken and rice soup and the spice blend I use to coat air fryer cauliflower.
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!
Cashew Curry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 4 - 5 cups cooked and shredded chicken anything in this range is fine (see note)
- ⅔ cup light mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 cup sliced celery
- ⅔ cup lightly-salted cashew pieces
- 2 Tablespoons diced onion red or white
Instructions
- Shred cooked chicken and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken, celery, cashews, and onion until chicken is fully coated by the mayonnaise mixture and all of the ingredients are well mixed.
- Refrigerate if not serving right away. Serve this salad warm or chilled scooped over leafy greens, wrapped in a tortilla or butter or Bibb lettuce leaves, scoop into pita halves, or enjoy on a traditional (or open-face!) sandwich.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Zainab says
Phewww, thank goodness that nail polish wasn't open. I dislike cleaning up nail polish from carpet lol! This is perfect for the first chicken meal coz it looks so delicious!!
Alyssa says
Thanks, Zainab! And I so agree! I've been in the position of cleaning up spilled nail polish before (ugh) and it's never a good thing! Haha
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says
Hallelujah, that polish wasn't open! It sounds like you are getting settled 😀 First baking experiences in a new oven are never fun. I can't think of one time I moved and used a new oven and had immediate success. Funny, my first baking experience here was chocolate chip cookies. They were paper thin and all melted together. Haha
Now, I wish we were neighbors. I would be in Old Bay heaven. You seriously have made me pull out my spice can and I've been adding it to lots of foods 😀 This chicken salad looks delicious! The flavors sound really great. Pinning
Alyssa says
Thanks! And yes!! I would have been so upset with myself for ruining the new (light-colored) rug! Haha I'm glad to hear I'm not alone regarding new ovens, Cindy! There's definitely a learning curve with it - this one runs hot! My first batch of cookies mushed together too and seriously stuck to the pan. I had to chip them off of the baking pan with a metal spatula, and even still half of the cookies wouldn't come off until after I soaked the pan for a good hour or so. What a mess! I'm so glad to hear I've inspired you to use more Old Bay! 🙂 It's one of my favorite spices to cook with - and now baking with the rolls.
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
Getting used to a new oven can be tricky, so don't feel too bad about the cookie flop. Good thinking making a giant chocolate chip cookie after! And I have heart attacks about spilling nail polish on the carpet! Gah! Glad it didn't spill, water is much easier to clean up than blue nail polish.
I love curry chicken salad! Have you ever tried using greek yogurt instead of mayo? I do that for my sister who get's super icked out by mayo, and it still tastes great! Gives it a nice tang.
Alyssa says
Haha thanks girl! There's definitely some settling in time with a new oven. That cookie recipe is SO good though. It was just what we needed after a loooong day. And I haven't tried greek yogurt in here but I bet it would be great! I used to be very anti-mayo, though I'm warming to it in certain recipes (this being one). Next time I will most definitely use the greek yogurt - thanks for the suggestion! Hope all is going well with your pretty new home! 🙂
Kathi @ Deliciously Yum! says
Great choice for your first chicken dish :). I love that it has a crunch - I have tried way too many chicken salads that were crunchless and super boring. Yours looks beyond amazing :). Make sure you invite me over when you make it next 🙂
Alyssa says
Thanks Kathi! And will do haha
Anna Johnston says
Oh my goodness... thank goodness the lid was on the blue nail polish. Nothing worse than that feeling of dread as you lunge/leap toward the falling object. I like the look of your chicken salad, cashews are the business, shame I can't serve it on 'Old Bay' buns.... Ill be writing a letter to the Australian government about allowing into my country, I want to try! 🙂 Hope you've had a great weekend. Cheers, Anna
Alyssa says
Ohhh I so agree, Anna! Such a scary moment when something's falling, though the wave of relief when there wasn't any spillage was golden! I love cashews, too and yes! You must try Old Bay. It's certainly worthy of changing import regulations haha Hope you had a great weekend, as well! 🙂
Terri says
Now I know what I can do with my leftovers from a COSTCO roasting chicken! YUMMY! 🙂
Alyssa says
Terri - this chicken salad is SO good! It would be perfect for those Costco chicken leftovers 🙂
Ashley says
haha oh gosh I hate that feeling when you drop something and before it spills you get that drop in your stomach like oh crap!! lol
And love the sound of this chicken salad - it's so different from what I normally make and I especially love that you added the cashews!
Alyssa says
Haha I so know what you mean! Years ago I actually had a bad spill with blue nail polish (on my parent's white carpet..ugh) so while this bottle was still in the air I was having major flashbacks. I'm still thanking my lucky stars I had closed it before it flew! And thanks! It's definitely a different type of chicken salad than I've had, but it's SO good. The cashews are a great addition!
Chris @ Shared Appetite says
Hahaha glad you are getting settled into your new digs... and that you have already had your first spill. Glad it was just water!!! And this chicken salad... LOVE!
Alyssa says
Thanks Chris! Haha I gladly mopped up the water once I grabbed the nail polish bottle and realized it was in fact closed. Whew!! I have a history of spilling nail polish on carpet (ugh) so I feel like I dodged a bullet this time! I would have been so upset to have stained our brand new rug! Haha
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
Well, Alyssa, unlike you I love curry, and I also love the chicken-cashew combo, so you don't have any real convincing to do to get me on board with this one!
Welcome to your new home, by the way! Glad that you managed to christen the carpet with a nice cool glass of water!
Alyssa says
Ooh I bet you would love this salad, Helen! I surprised myself by how much I loved the curry in here. And thank you! We are in the final stages of setting up and finding new places for all of our things. It's amazing how far we've come in two weeks, given the first was us sitting on folding chairs using an overturned cardboard box as a table! And oh, I'm so thankful it was just water! The couch/rug/floor weathered that one no problem. My heart leapt into my throat thinking blue nail polish would be permanently plastered on our (rented) floors!
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
This looks like a delicious chicken salad and I love that you served it on Old Bay Buns. Oh yes! 🙂 Ya gotta love Old Bay.
Alyssa says
Thanks Kristi! This salad paired SO well with those Old Bay buns. I think I've gone a little Old Bay crazy...it usually doesn't make it back into the cabinet it's used so much! 🙂
Ruby @ Ruby Red Apron says
I would have trouble keeping my fork out of this chicken salad! I love everything... the curry and the cashews! And it looks so good served with those buns!
Alyssa says
Thank you Ruby! This batch is long gone now (unfortunately) but I most certainly savored it. On sandwiches, on salads, and definitely those forkfuls alone! 🙂
Ashley @ My Midwest Table says
Alyssa! So many exciting things going on for you! I've just binge-read all the posts I've missed--which was a LOT! I hope you are liking your new city and are starting to feel all settled. Moving is crazy, isn't it?! That's where I've been. 🙂 We moved from South Dakota to Nebraska in late May, and since then it's been crazy. I'm hoping to get back to blogging in the next week or two. I've missed it!
So about this chicken salad. Holy yum! I'm a huge fan of curry, so this is totally up my alley. And I must get my hands on Old Bay. I've never had it!
Alyssa says
Hey Ashley!!! Haha missed ya - I was just thinking about you! Glad to hear all's going well and hope everything is great with your new home! Moving is most certainly crazy! And thank you - this chicken salad is so, SO good. If it can convert me to curry powder, then I bet you would totally love it. And you've got to try Old Bay if you run across it. It gives such a great flavor to dishes - and now homemade breads! 🙂
Jessica @ Jessiker Bakes says
Moving does seem to strike up some interesting firsts but it does seem rather exciting! These look great, and glad you got to enjoy a great one-of-your-first-meals in your new home!
Alyssa says
Thank you! Moving is definitely exciting Jessica, yes! If not a little (or a LOT) exhausting haha.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Hopefully you are settling into your new place, Alyssa! I love how creative this chicken salad is. Definitely gives the regular version a fun twist! I am not a huge fan of curry, but in here, it sounds amazing!
Alyssa says
Thanks Gayle! We're *just* about done setting everything up and arranging all of the smaller, decorative items. Glad that all the heavy lifting is over! And I never really enjoyed curry before, but for whatever reason I love it in this salad! To the point where I'd be craving it and counting down the hours and minutes until lunch/dinner when I'd eat it!
Lynette says
This sandwich is absolutely perfection! No other words necessary.
Alyssa says
Thanks! Super yummy, right? 🙂