Description
Ina Garten’s curry chicken salad blends tender poultry with creamy mayonnaise and warming spices. Crisp celery, sweet raisins, and toasted almonds provide delightful texture that invites you to savor each refreshing bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on, 6 splits)
- 1.5 cups mayonnaise (Hellman’s)
- 3 tbsps curry powder
- 1 cup celery (medium-diced, 2 large stalks)
- 1 cup whole roasted, salted cashews
- ¼ cup chutney (Major Grey’s)
- ¼ cup scallions (chopped, white and green parts, 2 scallions)
- ¼ cup raisins
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Roasting: Preheat oven to 350°F. Position chicken breasts on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Preparing Chicken: Let roasted chicken cool for 10-15 minutes, then carefully remove meat from bones, discarding skin. Dice into uniform bite-sized cubes.
- Crafting Dressing: Combine mayonnaise, white wine, mango chutney, curry powder, and kosher salt in food processor. Blend until smooth, creating a golden, creamy sauce.
- Mixing: Fold diced chicken into prepared dressing, ensuring complete and even coating of each piece.
- Chilling: Refrigerate salad for 2-3 hours to allow flavors to develop and meld together intensely.
- Finishing: Just before serving, sprinkle chopped cashews over the top for a delightful crunch. Serve at room temperature, optionally garnishing with additional cashews.
Notes
- Optimize Chicken Roasting: Use a meat thermometer to precisely check internal temperature, guaranteeing juicy and safe chicken without overcooking.
- Enhance Flavor Depth: Allow salad to marinate in refrigerator for recommended 2-3 hours, enabling spices and chutney to fully penetrate chicken and create rich, complex taste profile.
- Perfect Texture Balance: Dice chicken uniformly and fold gently into dressing to maintain tender meat integrity and ensure consistent coating with creamy curry sauce.
- Elevate Serving Presentation: Sprinkle freshly chopped cashews immediately before serving to preserve maximum crunch and provide delightful textural contrast to smooth chicken salad.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Snacks
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 570
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 42 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 30 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg