Chicken Salad just got a makeover! This Curry Chicken Salad recipe is a mouthwatering flavor bomb. Loaded with curry powder, creamy mayo, crunchy celery, and onion, this recipe will be on repeat for make-ahead lunches!
Do you love hearty salad recipes that fill you up and are healthy? Check out my Mediterranean Quinoa which is packed with veggies, and my Blackened Shrimp Salad is ready in just 10 minutes!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox! You will also receive other new recipes in your inbox weekly!
The Best Curry Chicken Salad!
If you know me, you’ll know that there are three things I love (besides peanut butter and chocolate): chicken, salads, and curry! Throw those three foods together and what do you get? Curry Chicken Salad!
This Curry Chicken Salad recipe is the best chicken salad I’ve ever had. There’s no way I’ll be going back to regular chicken salad! Curry powder, mixed with creamy mayo, crunchy celery and red onion, juicy and moist shredded chicken, gets laced with honey, lemon, and mustard. It is an explosion of flavor and texture in one little bite!
This recipe is perfect for meal prep! I like to make a batch at the beginning of the week and serve it with lettuce cups or tortillas for lunch. It’s perfect for low carb and keto diets, and if you use a compliant mayonnaise it is whole30 friendly as well!
Chicken Curry Salad Ingredients
- Shredded chicken: I use pre-cooked shredded chicken for this recipe. Rotisserie chicken is perfect (this is a great way to use up leftovers!) or you can try my Instant pot Shredded Chicken – it’s so easy!
- Mayonnaise: Regular, full-fat mayonnaise is my preferred mayo, however, low fat, olive oil, avocado oil, or homemade mayo are all great options. Just add your favorite!
- Red onion: Just a little red onion is diced and added. I like it’s sweetness and it has a slightly milder flavor compared to a yellow onion.
- Celery: Crunch!! Just to add some texture, I tossed some celery in. I find chicken salad to be very soft without it so I had to add a little for crunchiness.
- Curry powder: Here’s where the curry comes in! This is such an easy twist on regular chicken curry salad, and it tastes amazing! This is our go to curry powder!
- Honey: Just a little sweetness brings out the other flavors. It really complements the curry aroma!
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice gives an acidic hint to the chicken salad.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon is both a little spicy and tangy. It pairs perfectly with lemon and honey.
- Salt and pepper: Seasoning, to bring out all of the other flavors, I add in salt and pepper at the end and adjust it to my own taste.
How to make Chicken Curry Salad
Begin by adding the shredded chicken, mayonnaise, onion, celery, curry powder, honey, lemon juice, and mustard to a medium bowl.
Mix all of the ingredients together until they are well combined. Add a little salt and pepper to suit your taste and enjoy!
How Long Will This Keep?
- Store chicken curry salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze it for later! Pop the curry chicken salad in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Tips for Success
- Use up leftover chicken! This is an excellent way to use up a leftover rotisserie chicken. Just shred it up and add the other ingredients!
- Make your own shredded chicken. My Instant pot Shredded Chicken is SO easy, and you’ll have shredded chicken in no time!
- Add some fruit! A handful of diced grapes, apples, or raisins are amazing in this chicken curry salad!
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many calories are in a chicken curry salad? There are just 382 calories per serving in this curried chicken salad recipe. It’s perfect for a light lunch!
- How many carbs are in chicken curry salad? It’s super low carb! Only 3 grams of net carbs are in each portion. It’s perfect for the keto diet!
- What is curry powder made of? Curry powder is made of turmeric, cumin, ginger, and black pepper. Occasionally, curry powder will also include a little garlic powder and cinnamon. This is our go to brand for curry powder.
More salad recipes you will love
- Macaroni Salad
- Southwest Chicken Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Pressure Cooker Potato Salad
- Grilled Vegetable Panzanella Salad
Curry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add shredded chicken, mayonnaise, onion, celery, curry powder, honey, lemon juice and mustard to a medium bowl.
- Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
I'd love to hear your feedback! Leave a review and make sure to share your pictures on social media! Don't forget to follow @thechefsavvy.
Molly
This recipe is bangin’ !!! My husband was skeptical because he is not a chicken salad fan, but loves Indian food. This was the perfect compromise — asked for seconds… doubling the batch next time. THANK YOU!! NOTE – I did add pistachios for a crunch. (1/4 cup) perfect addition.
Kelley Simmons
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! I love the addition of the nuts!
Jane Hunt
Made this recipe with leftover poached chicken that I made a day earlier for Greek lemon chicken soup (Avgolemono). This chicken salad is truly yummy! I love that the Dijon and honey give a tangy yet sweet twist to the mayo. I used a bit less curry powder (about 1 tsp) and added some golden raisins. Really tasty on toasted sourdough. Thanks so much for this great recipe!
Melinda
I added chopped raisins, and OMG!!! SO GOOD!
Kelley Simmons
Yah so glad you enjoyed this!
Diana
Very quick and easy. Like others I had to tweak the ingredients to use what I had on hand, used toasted cashews and raisins and did add more curry. A perfect and easily adaptable recipe.
Kara
We love this recipe! I did make two modifications: I smoked my chicken breast on the smoker to add that smoked flavor rubbing them with curry powder before smoking at 225° until they got to temp, and like others here I added raisins to enhance the sweet kick and balance the depth of the curry flavor!
Kelley Simmons
Wow smoking the chicken first sounds absolutely amazing!! So glad you enjoyed this! Thanks so much for taking the time to share!