Curried Chicken Salad
Serves 6-8
This is my own recipe, but I can’t claim it’s an original idea. Curry chicken salad was a popular dish in the 80s and 90s, and I’ve seen many recipes over the years. It was tasty then, and it’s tasty now. Over the years, I’ve worked out the recipe that I like best.
Needless to say, you can add, subtract or substitute any ingredient you like - this is a very adaptable sort of thing.
It’s very important to avoid overcooking the chicken breasts, as dry white meat is only worse when cold. They’ll continue to cook a bit after you take them out, so pull them just short of the recommended safe temperature of 165 F.
This can be made the day before, and kept covered in the refrigerator - but let it sit out a bit before serving, so it’s cool rather than icebox-cold. The flavors will be much more pronounced.
Ingredients #
- 4 chicken breasts (on the bone)
- 1 ½ - 2 cups mayonnaise (Duke’s preferred)
- 1 tbsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. white vermouth
- Tabasco sauce to taste
- ½ lemon
- 3 stalks celery, cleaned and chopped
- 1 large green apple, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- ¼ of a red onion, chopped, soaked in ice water for 5 minutes, drained dry
- 1/3 cup chopped scallions
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup pecan or walnut pieces, toasted and chopped
- 1 ½ cups seedless red grapes, cut in half
Instructions #
Place the chicken breasts in a pot and cover with lightly salted water, cover and place over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. Place the chicken breasts on a plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside to cool.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull off the skin and any fat, remove the meat from the bones, and chop the meat into ½" cubes. Place the chopped chicken in a bowl, cover and chill.
In the bottom of a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, curry powder, sugar and vermouth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper (the dressing should be highly seasoned, as it will provide the seasoning for all the other ingredients). Add dashes of tabasco sauce to taste, and thin with drops of lemon juice if necessary.
Add the celery, apple, bell pepper, red onion, scallions, jalapenos, nuts, grapes and the chopped chicken. Stir until thoroughly combined, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to combine flavors. Serve cool.