This easy Curry Chicken Salad recipe is the perfect blend of sweet and savory, with tender chicken, juicy grapes, and nutty cashews, all folded together in a lightly creamy curry dressing.
I’m down for a good chicken salad meal any day of the week, but this flavorful Curry Chicken Salad recipe is extra special. It’s creamy and crunchy, sweet and savory – absolutely perfect in every single way!
Why We ❤️ Curry Chicken Salad
I enjoyed a fabulous curried chicken salad while we were on vacation many years ago to Mackinac Island, Michigan. So I came home and created my own recipe. While Blake and I have always enjoyed it, we grew accustomed to eating it all by ourselves. But now we have company. Our daughters’ taste buds have obviously changed over the years – because now they can’t get enough of this salad! Here’s why we love it:
- BIG flavor + varied texture. Curry powder is earthy, sweet, and irresistible – a major player in the flavorful, creamy dressing, and a big reason why our daughters have been won over by this recipe. Add in some sweet grapes (a delightful pairing with chicken, as seen in my Chicken Kabobs with Grapes), crunchy veggies and salty cashews, and it’s everything chicken salad is supposed to be!
- Perfect amount of dressing. I think the best chicken salad recipe has just enough creamy dressing to cover the chicken and all the other goodies, without the salad being dry or gloppy. I know that’s personal preference, so rest assured that there’s enough dressing included in this recipe for you to add as much as you want.
- Lightened up a bit. I incorporated Greek yogurt into the dressing, to step away from the standard all-mayo base. There’s still mayo in the dressing for richness and tangy flavor, but I think you’ll agree that this dressing is super yummy!
- It never gets old. Just like Ham Salad and egg salad, you can enjoy this curry chicken salad in a variety of ways. One day it’s a sandwich, the next it’s a lettuce wrap!
What You’ll Need
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this crave-worthy dish. Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
Chicken:
- Chicken – I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can also use leftover roast chicken.
- Olive oil – For a nice, golden color and flavor when roasting the chicken.
- Salt & pepper – A simple seasoning combo to bring out the best in the chicken.
Dressing:
- Mayonnaise – The creamy base that adds richness and binds the ingredients together.
- Yogurt – I swapped out a portion of the mayo in a traditional chicken salad with full-fat plain Greek yogurt. This keeps it creamy while adding some other flavor notes.
- Mango chutney – A sweet and tangy element that adds depth to the dressing. Major Grey’s is a well known brand, but I’m not picky here.
- Curry powder – This comes in different heat levels; go for mild (also known as sweet curry powder) in this recipe.
- Lemon juice – Adds brightness and acidity to balance the flavors. Use fresh juice for the best flavor!
Salad:
- Red onion – I add just a bit, diced nice and small. It offers great flavor and little crisp texture.
- Celery – Another crisp element. If you’re not a big celery fan, water chestnuts are a good swap.
- Grapes – Red grapes are a classic in curry chicken salad. I’ve got some other ideas for the sweet element later in this post.
- Cashews – Crunchy, nutty, and amazing in this salad! I recommend leaving them out until just before serving if you’re making this for meal prep; that will help keep the nuts super crunchy.
- Cilantro – Adds an earthy, herby note.
- Salt & pepper – Add this to taste.
How to Make Curry Chicken Salad
You’ll find the full instructions in the recipe card, but here’s a little overview of the steps for making this chicken salad recipe.
- Cook the chicken. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Rub the chicken with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Rest for 10 minutes before dicing into cubes – or use two forks to create shredded chicken instead.
- Make the dressing. Stir together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Assemble. Combine the chicken, onion, celery, grapes, cashews, and cilantro in a large bowl, then add the dressing.
- Serve. Fold to coat everything evenly. Eat while still a bit warm or refrigerate until cool and then serve.
Variations
There are lots of ways to put your own spin on this curry chicken salad. Come up with your own or try one of these:
- Use rotisserie chicken. Or leftover cooked chicken. Just swap in 3 to 4 cups of cubed cooked chicken.
- Use apples instead of grapes. Apples are fabulous in this salad, with a little caveat: they’ll go brown on you eventually. That’s why I go with grapes, because they’re better for meal prep. But you can absolutely swap in diced apples for sweetness and crunch.
- Make it nut-free. In the original version of this recipe, I used pepitas, which makes this curry chicken salad nut-free without giving up that fantastic crunch. Sunflower seeds would be another option to try.
- Swap the fresh fruit for dried. Dried fruit adds a chewy texture to the salad. Raisins (either regular or golden) are a common option, or you can try currants, dried cherries, dried cranberries, or even diced dried apricots.
Serving Suggestions
I like to spoon this curry chicken salad into crisp lettuce leaves, or lettuce cups, for a light meal – but you can also serve it over a bed of greens, in a sandwich with rustic bread or a croissant, or on top of crackers or cucumber slices. You can even make it into a dinner by serving it warm over rice (or this Cilantro Lime Rice).
How to Store
Transfer your curry chicken salad to an airtight container and refrigerate it for 3 to 4 days. Before serving, give it a quick stir to ensure the flavors and ingredients are well-blended. Don’t freeze this recipe; mayo separates when frozen and thawed.
More Salad Recipes With Chicken
Curry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (see Notes below)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Dressing
- ⅔ cup good quality mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Major Grey's chutney, (or similar)
- 2 tablespoons curry powder (see Notes below)
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salad
- ⅓ cup small diced red onion
- ½ cup small diced celery
- ⅔ cup halved red grapes – or quartered if especially large (or substitute ⅓ cup plump raisins)
- ½ cup roasted, salted whole cashews (see Notes below)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Chicken: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Rub chicken with olive oil, then season all over with salt and pepper. Place in oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each breast reads 165°F.
- Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into ¾" cubes.
- Dressing: While chicken is cooking, stir together mayo, yogurt, chutney, curry powder, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
- Salad: In a large bowl, fold together chicken, onion, celery, grapes, cashews, and cilantro. Drizzle prepared dressing over the top and fold to coat all ingredients. Taste test, then season with salt & pepper and additional curry powder as needed.
- Serve: Enjoy right away. Or let cool completely, then cover tightly and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight. Serve salad cold over a bed of lettuce or in lettuce wraps, or as a sandwich between two slices of bread or a split croissant. Or serve it warm, over rice.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in 2011, then updated in 2025.
This is ubiquitous here in the UK – Coronation Chicken Salad. Add some mango chutney for authenticity. :)
Delicious on a roll too.
YUM!!
What’s up to every , for the reason that I am genuinely eager of reading this blog
HA! No ladies in slacks = fancy!!!
Oh how I love Mackinac Island!!! Haven’t been since I was like 13! It looks just as lovely today as it was then. So charming. Thanks for sharing! I simply MUST go back!
See that little town about an hour South East of Mackinac…Rogers City! I was born and raised there, and spend many-a-summers day on the island. Especially every 4th of July we’d always spend the whole day up there and it never grew old. I’ve always dreamed of staying at the Grand Hotel. What a treat! So glad that you got to enjoy my favorite little piece of the world!
So fun to hear about your memories, Elizabeth. I can only imagine how magical that place is over the 4th of July. You’ve just planted a seed in my brain for a future visit – thank you!
The pictures are lovely, Brenda. I’ve wanted to go there for as long as I can remember. One of these days, I imagine, we’ll take it all in, but for now, I’ll gaze at your photos and dream.
Thank you, Kate. I do hope that you get there one day. It’s worth dreaming about and waiting for.
I’m from Michigan (near Grand Rapids) and I used to go to Mackinac Island every summer with my boyfriend (at the time) and his family. It was fantastic. His whole family would rent one of the large houses. I love the island! So happy you enjoyed it too!
To go to Mackinac every summer would be so lovely. Thanks for sharing, Stephanie!
Your chicken curry salad looks and sounds delicious and I learned something new…that pepitos are pumpkin seeds!
I really enjoy the way you write. Your intro to this salad was wonderful and the remainder of your post on Mackinac Island (incl. photos) truly has me dreaming of making the trip to visit such a timeless and beautiful place one day.
Thank you for your lovely, lovely words, Paula. {{hugs}}
Brenda!!! Mackinac Island is my very most favorite place in the whole wide world besides home!!! It is where we honeymooned and love to go every few years.
Robyn!!! I love that you love Mackinac – so fun to hear how special it is to you!
I’ve been waiting for you to write a post about your travels to MI — so glad you guys had a fun trip! And I’m still bummed that we couldn’t work out a time to meet as you passed through!
Since I’ve lived in MI my entire life, I often take all that beauty for granted… thanks for showcasing how wonderful our state is!
I thought several times about re-routing our return trip home, so I could try to meet up with you, Andrea. You truly live in a state filled with amazing natural beauty.
I used to live in Michigan… and there is nothing quite like the beautiful waters of Lake MI and Huron. Truly, one of God’s most beautiful creations. I’m so glad you took some time to go to Mackinac — the photos are stunning, but as you know, just don’t do it justice!
The history of the making of the Mighty Mac Bridge is pretty nifty too — amazing to drive over that thing!
The photos TRULY don’t do it justice. At all. Nice to hear from you – thanks!
What a charming place! Although I’m not sure about the no slacks for women part, I live in pants!
We took a day trip to Mackinac Island when I was young, and the things I remembered most were the horse drawn carriages and the fudge shops. You’re lucky to have been able to stay in that fabulous hotel, it looks so impressive.
Your curry chicken salad sounds lovely, just right to bring for work lunches. Thanks for the shout out about the rosemary chicken salad!
Oh my gosh Brenda. This looks amazing. I am smitten with everything you talked about… I want to go there!
It has been so long since I’ve been to Mackinac island, but we love it there!
Salad looks scrumptious!!!
My mom was from Michigan and once a year we would go visit her family. Two or three times we went to Mackinac Island but all I did was moan and complain. I sure wish I could go there as an adult now and appreciate all the beauty.
Your pictures really brought it to life for me – gorgeous!
Thanks, Amanda. It did take me a bit to let go, relax, and embrace it all. But once I did, it was hard to leave. I really miss the clip-clop-clip-clop of the horses and the beautiful blue waters and skies. Michigan has so much beauty.
Thanks for sharing your trip. Lovely pictures. I will have to put this on my to do list.
Thanks, Annemarie. It was different than anything we’ve ever done – I’m so glad we went!
Love Mackinac, try a bike ride around island next time you go. My kids loved it, it is long but a mostly flat ride all the way around. Didn’t make it up this summer, but managed to get some fudge from family members who went. Yum!
I would have loved to have rented bikes for an afternoon, but chose to spend more time at the pool & such. We would all like to go back, when our youngest is just a bit older, and do the bike thing. I couldn’t believe all the bikes on that island!