Chicken salad is a great meal any time of year but we especially love it in winter when deliciously crisp apples are in season. When combined with a few other simple ingredients you probably already have on hand - like sweet raisins, curry powder, orange - this dish just sings! Many curried chicken salad recipes contain a scoop or two of Major Grey's mango chutney (which we love!), but it's not a common pantry item in many homes. To make up for the sweet and spicy flavor of the chutney we used the zest and juice of an orange along with a pinch of powdered ginger, both of which added a nice zip and zing to this delicious chicken salad! Serve the salad atop a bed of your favorite greens or as a sandwich for lunch or dinner.
Curried Chicken Salad
Makes 4-6 servings
2 1/2 cups leftover roasted chicken meat, cubed
1 large (or 2 small) crisp, red skinned apple, such as Fuji or Pink Lady, cored and diced into bite-size pieces
3/4 cup yellow raisins
2 heaping tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
4 heaping tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste
A pinch of powdered ginger (or a small knob of fresh ginger, grated)
The zest of a large orange, plus some of the juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad greens or your choice, such as spinach, mixed greens, butter lettuce, or baby kale
Remove chicken meat from bones and cut into bite-sized cubes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Quarter the apple and remove the core from each piece. Then, slice into bite-size chunks and add to the chicken along with the raisins.
In a separate small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, ginger, orange zest, and about half the juice from the orange. Stir until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more curry powder and/or orange juice if necessary.
Add the curry dressing to the chicken and fruit and stir until well incorporated.
Place greens on plates and top each with a generous scoop of chicken salad.
Serve immediately.
