This curry chicken salad recipe is the perfect cool-weather comfort food. It brings together the warm, earthy spices of curry with tender chicken, roasted vegetables, and my homemade curry salad dressing with olive oil.
Using my meal prep techniques, this curried chicken salad comes together easily and can be packed for a quick workday lunch or enjoyed as a simple weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
This recipe contains no added sugar or industrial seed oils (a.k.a. vegetable oil) to drag you down. Here's to food that not only tastes great but makes you feel good too!
My favorite way to make this recipe is to leverage meal prep techniques to save time. Give this a try and see if you enjoy the time back on a busy day too!
- Roasted sweet potatoes - since it takes time to peel and cut sweet potatoes, I recommend doing this at least one day in advance. I often take care of the prep work over the weekend, then make this salad during the week. Here's how to store cut sweet potatoes to make crispy oven-roasted sweet potatoes at a later time.
- Roasted Brussels sprouts - prepare these on the day of cooking as they tend to dry out if you cut them in advance.
- Ginger curry salad dressing (vinaigrette) - you can prepare this ginger curry salad dressing recipe ahead of time or on the same day. Either way, it's so simple to make!
- Meal prep chicken - you have a few options here. Feel free to use leftover rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, leftover chicken breasts, poached chicken, or follow this meal prep chicken recipe for easy slow cooker chicken breasts. You can cut them into cubes or make shredded chicken.
- Arugula - this is one of my favorite dark leafy greens as it imparts a peppery flavor that's perfect for this salad. Get a package of pre-washed arugula to save yourself another step!
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450℉. Toss the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts in avocado oil and salt. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place them on the middle rack in the oven.
For more detailed instructions on how to roast these veggies, refer to the links in the ingredients section above.
Around 15 minutes, the Brussels Sprouts should be lightly crispy and golden brown. Remove them from the sheet pan and set them aside in a large bowl.
Rotate the sheet pan and continue to roast the sweet potatoes in the oven. After about 10 minutes, the sweet potatoes should be ready and crispy brown on the bottom sides.
Step 2: Chop the arugula into bite-sized pieces.
Step 3: Add the arugula, cubed or shredded chicken, and roasted sweet potatoes to the bowl of Brussels sprouts.
Step 4: Drizzle on the ginger curry salad dressing then toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Step 5: I hope you enjoy this curry chicken salad recipe as a quick lunch or weeknight dinner!
Substitutions
- If you're not a fan of sweet potatoes, butternut squash is an excellent alternative.
- Instead of arugula, you can try using baby spinach.
- If you prefer a different protein, shredded pork works great as well.
Variations
- Just like the classic chicken salad you may be enjoying over the summer months, you can use this curried chicken salad as a sandwich filler. Spread some creamy mayo, mustard, or tangy yogurt with lemon juice on a couple of slices of your favorite bread to make a chicken salad sandwich. For some extra spice, mix in extra curry powder or a pinch of cayenne pepper to your sandwich spread.
- As an alternative to bread, try using butter lettuce or romaine lettuce to make a curry chicken salad lettuce wrap.
- If you like a little crunch, an easy option is to add some chopped nuts to further elevate this salad. For example, adding some crunchy cashews, walnuts, or almond slivers can be very satisfying. To avoid the need for chopping, try adding some pine nuts or sunflower seeds.
Storage
While this salad is best enjoyed immediately, you can store leftovers in an airtight container for a few days in the refrigerator.
- For make-ahead lunches, portion them out into individual containers.
- If you are using the leftovers as a sandwich filler, pack the bread separately and assemble your sandwich when ready to eat.
Related
Recipe
Curry Chicken Salad Recipe with Roasted Vegetables (No Mayo)
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE ROASTED VEGGIES
- 14 ounces Brussels sprouts, stems removed and cut in half lengthwise about 2 cups after they've been cut
- 2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil, divided for the roasted veggies
- 1 tsp salt, divided for the roasted veggies
FOR THE REST OF THE SALAD
- 4 ounces arugula, chopped into bite-sized pieces about 4 cups, packed
- 1 cup cooked chicken breast, cubed
- ½ cup ginger curry vinaigrette
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Toss the sweet potatoes in avocado oil and salt. Spread them in a single layer on one half of the baking sheet. Toss the Brussels sprouts in avocado oil and salt. Spread them in a single layer on the other half of the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven. Around 15 minutes, the Brussels Sprouts should be lightly crispy and golden brown. Remove them from the sheet pan and set them aside in a large bowl. Rotate the sheet pan and continue to roast the sweet potatoes in the oven. After about 10 minutes, the sweet potatoes should be ready and crispy brown on the bottom sides.
- Chop the arugula into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the arugula, cubed or shredded chicken, and roasted sweet potatoes to the bowl of Brussels sprouts. Drizzle on the curry salad dressing then toss to combine. Serve immediately.
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