My Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes is a delicious, protein-packed salad that's infused with a mixture of savory and sweet flavors. Red grapes, toasted almonds, and celery add plenty of color and crunch. Enjoy this chicken salad on a bed of greens for dinner and use the leftovers to make tasty sandwiches for lunch the next day!
I love chicken salad! It's packed with protein, incredibly versatile, and perfect for meal prep. Whether you're looking for a quick lunch or a delicious addition to your picnic spread, chicken salad has got you covered. Today, I'm excited to share my recipe for curried chicken salad with grapes, which adds a flavorful twist to this classic dish.
For more chicken salad inspiration, be sure to check out my pesto chicken salad and chicken salad with grapes and almonds. Both are family favorites and great options for any meal of the day.
My curried chicken salad with grapes is the perfect light dish that will fill you up without weighing you down. It has a mixture of savory and sweet flavors and plenty of ingredients to add color and crunch. It’s delicious on a sandwich or as a salad topper piled on a bed of crisp, spring greens.
If you like this chicken salad, you'll also love my high protein egg salad with cottage cheese.
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Lightened Up Retro Dish
Curried chicken salad is a retro dish that's classically made with diced chicken tossed in a creamy mayonnaise-based dressing. The unique flavor of the dish comes from the combination of the warm curry powder spice mixed with sweet fruit chutney and bright lemon or lime juice.
To lighten up this chicken salad with curry, I make my dressing mostly with Greek yogurt and just enough mayonnaise to retain the classic flavor. I use the same trick in my chicken salad with grapes and almonds.
Swapping a portion of mayonnaise with Greek yogurt is a simple way to lighten up your recipes and boost their nutritional value.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is one of my favorite ingredients to use in the kitchen, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. It's so versatile! Some of my favorite dishes with Greek yogurt are grilled peaches with Greek yogurt, pineapple banana smoothie, and salmon burgers with dill yogurt sauce.
Greek yogurt is also very nutritious. It's packed with protein and probiotics. It's also an excellent source of calcium. To learn more, read my post all about Greek yogurt nutrition.
Greek yogurt is naturally thick and creamy so it gives the dressing a nice texture. And the tanginess of the yogurt works well with the savory curry powder. After all, yogurt is a natural accompaniment to Indian food.
To add texture and color to the salad, I mix in a bunch of nutritious ingredients including red grapes, celery, scallions, and heart-healthy almonds.
Ingredients
- Cooked chicken breast- you can cook your own chicken breast or use rotisserie chicken. This is also a great dish to use up leftover roast chicken. You can dice it up into cubes or shred it.
- Greek yogurt- I use 2% plain Greek yogurt
- Mayonnaise- I use only 2 tablespoons for 4 servings, which is significantly less than the classic dish
- Curry powder- rich in antioxidants! There are many different variations of curry powder that you can buy from the store. Each one will add a unique flavor to this dish. I use a standard mild curry powder.
- Mango chutney- the sweetness of the mango chutney nicely balances out the spice of the curry powder. You can substitute apricot preserves or honey.
- Lemon juice- adds brightness to round out the sweet and savory flavors
- Red grapes- I love the pop of sweetness that fresh grapes add to this dish! It's one of my favorite things about this recipe. However, you can substitute other fresh fruit like diced apples or dried fruit like raisins or cranberries.
- Celery- add the crunch factor that's classic in chicken salad
- Scallions- add color and a mild onion flavor without being overpowering
- Sliced almonds- I love the flavor and texture of sliced almonds in this salad (toasting them adds even more flavor). However, you can substitute other nuts like cashews, pecans or walnuts.
How To Make Curry Chicken Salad
This curried chicken salad couldn't get any easier! Simply whisk all of the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl.
Then, throw in some cooked chicken, grapes, celery, scallions, and almonds. Stir it all up, season to taste with salt and pepper, and you're done!
How To Serve This Dish
I usually make a large batch of this curry chicken salad with grapes so that I can enjoy it for a couple of days. Here are some ways to enjoy it:
- Make a green salad and top it with a scoop of this chicken salad
- Sandwich it between two pieces of bread to make a tasty sandwich
- Wrap it up in a tortilla with some lettuce for a delicious lunch
- Serve it on butter lettuce leaves to make delicious low carb lettuce wraps
- Spoon it onto crackers, crostini, mini croissants or cucumber slices for an elegant appetizer
- Serve it in a bowl with toasted pita or naan wedges for scooping it up
Chef's Tips
- This curried chicken salad recipe is a great way to use up rotisserie chicken or other leftover chicken. However, if you don't have any, you can poach chicken breast for this recipe.
Poaching is low-calorie cooking method in which the chicken (or other food) is gently simmered in liquid until it is cooked through. Aromatics, such as fresh herbs, and an acid, such as white wine, are commonly added to the liquid to infuse the food with flavor. See the notes in the recipe card for instructions on how to poach chicken for this dish. - Toasting the almonds will add more flavor to the dish
- This dish is endlessly customizable! Use this recipe as a guideline and substitute your own favorite ingredients. You can vary the type of nuts, type of fruit, and even the type of chutney. Add fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley for an extra pop of flavor.
- To make a vegetarian version of this dish, substitute chickpeas or tofu for the chicken.
Storage
You can store this chicken salad with curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It doesn't freeze and defrost well so I wouldn't recommend freezing.
Have you ever wondered how long chicken can sit out before you need to toss it? Read my post all about how to properly handle and store chicken to help ensure that it's always safe to eat!
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Recipe
Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons mango chutney
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken breast
- ¾ cup halved red grapes
- ⅓ cup chopped scallions
- ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
- ¼ cup chopped celery
Instructions
- Mix the yogurt, mayonnaise, curry powder, chutney, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Season the mixture with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Stir in the chicken, grapes, scallions, almonds and celery. Serve chicken salad on a bed of lettuce or use it to make sandwiches, wraps or lettuce wraps. You can also serve it on crackers, crostini, mini croissants or cucumber slices as an elegant appetizer.
Mslll75 says
This recipe is perfect in my opinion. I love the flavors and that it's light on mayo.
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Lisa says
Girrrrl! This is the BEST curried chicken salad I’ve ever had!! You’re giving Chicken Salad Chick a run for her money! OMG if you did variations of this like they serve there—Fancy Nancy, etc…I made this for a ladies luncheon that Im hosting tomorrow but I’m going to immediately poach more chicken because I think I will be eating this on repeeat for weeks. I topped mine with some sweet & spicy pecans from Trader Joes (delicious!!) and served it on a bed of leftover beet & goat cheese salad from dinner out on Friday night. I also added a hard boiled egg on the side for extra protein (I lift weights). I used Mrs. Ball’s chutney (my hubs is South African and that is one of our favorite chutneys) which we find in the international aisle of Publix in Florida. You have made my month with this recipe!!💋
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
Wow, thanks for the wonderful review Lisa! I'm so happy you loved the dish! I love the idea of using sweet and spicy pecans from TJ's. I had to look up Chicken Salad Chick because I've never heard of it. Turns out there's one right near me so I'll have to try it out sometime. I hope you get to try out more recipes from my site. Thanks for your support!
Joanne says
I couldn't find chutney, so I substituted apricot preserves like suggested and it was still great.
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
That’s great! I’ll have to try it with apricot preserves next time. Thanks for leaving a comment:)
Joanna says
Delicious and light take on chicken salad! I did not have mango chutney on hand so I substituted that with apricot preserves. I also toasted the almonds. It was great eaten by itself, wrapped in a lettuce leaf and on toast. Thank you for this amazing recipe!!
sonaliruder says
Apricot preserves sound like a great substitution! So glad you enjoyed the dish!
polo jafri says
More or Less curried chicken salad has all nutrition which needed daily.
Will say my wife to prepare it on weekend.
Abbey Sharp says
Love the protein boost from the Greek yogurt! Need to try this salad 😊
Emily Cooper says
Chicken salad is one of my favorite lunch ideas! Love your healthier take on it!
Deborah Brooks says
I make something similar with chick peas instead of chicken. I will have to try the yogurt in there. The mango chutney sounds good too!
url says
Perfect for Mah Jong brunch, spring or summer. The video is very helpful. I usually have the rotisserie chicken breast meat on hand. I can try this simple and tasty recipe. Thank you Sonali.
Joy G Hoover says
Please tell us what the serving portions are per nutritional information for the Curried Chicken Salad?