My Favorite Chicken Salad
I love a good chicken salad! This Curried Chicken Salad with Dried Apricot and Tart Apple is hands down my favorite. It has an abundance of flavour, and lots of different textures going on.
The soft sweetness of the apricots is perfectly balanced by the crisp tartness of the apple. Mayonnaise and yoghurt combine to make a light, creamy dressing that has a little peppery bite from fresh ginger and fragrant spiciness from ground cumin and curry. Toasted slivered almonds round off the ingredients, adding a satisfying crunchy, nuttiness to the dish.
Oh, and of course chicken!
Poach or grill a couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts ahead of time, or use leftover, or store-bought rotisserie chicken for a quick and easy dish that comes together in about 10 minutes! Altogether you will need about 3 cups of cubed cooked chicken.
How to Enjoy Your Chicken Salad
Serve a healthy scoop of the chicken salad on a bed of lettuce. Great for lunch, or a light dinner when it is too hot to cook!
It makes a delicious sandwich filling.
Stuff into a pita or between slices of your favorite bread bread with some baby lettuce leaves.
Turn it into a wrap with a tortilla or use a large romaine or butter lettuce leaf for a lighter, low carb option.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 cups cubed cooked chicken (2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup plain low fat yoghurt
- 1-2 tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 10-12 dried apricots
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds toasted
- 1 granny smith apple (or other tart apple) (cored, and cut into cubes)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
The Dressing
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, yoghurt, curry and cumin and the fresh grated ginger. Set aside in the refrigerator.Note: To intensify the flavours and fragrance of the curry and cumin, dry roast in a small frying pan for about 30 seconds before whisking into the dressing.
The Chicken Salad
- Cut the pre-cooked chicken into bite sized cubes and set aside.Note: Use store-bought rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, or chicken breasts that you have grilled or poached.
- Slice each of the dried apricots into 3-4 pieces, Place into a bowl and cover with warm water to soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Spread the almonds in a single layer in a dry cast iron or heavy stainless steel skillet. Heat them over medium heat, stirring or tossing them frequently, until they turn light golden brown and start to smell nutty. About 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Cut the apple into quarters and remove the core and cut the quarters into cubes. Place in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice.
- Drain the apricots and add to the bowl along with the cubed chicken and toasted almond slivers.
- Add the dressing and toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste, more grated ginger or mayonnaise if needed.