Curry Chicken Salad

January 08, 2017

 

I have been craving chicken salad hard core and this recipe by Mel Joulwan was exactly what I needed. I switched things up a bit from her original recipe (also found in her new cookbook Well Fed Weeknights) to make it a little easier, but it was still amazingly delicious! Serves 2-4.

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4–6 ounces each)
• 2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup all-natural mayonnaise (I like Sir Kensington)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1⁄2 lime

Fruit & nuts:

• 1⁄4 cup sliced almonds
• 1⁄4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 stalks celery
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries (I like these that are sweetened with apple juice)

Salad:

• 2 large carrots
• 1 head Boston or butter lettuce
• 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach
• 1⁄2 lime
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook the chicken. Smash and peel the garlic cloves and place them in a large saucepan. Add the chicken, water, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer on low, 15–20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken sit in the hot water while you prep the salad.
2. Make the dressing. Peel and crush the garlic cloves and place in a small, microwave safe bowl. Add the ghee, curry powder, cumin, coriander, salt, and ginger; microwave until melted, about 20 seconds. In a medium bowl, gently whisk together 1⁄3 cup mayo, the juice of the 1⁄2 lime, and the curry oil until smooth.
3. Prep the fruit and nuts. Place the almonds and coconut in a dry, nonstick skillet and toast them over medium-high heat until golden, 3–4 minutes; transfer to a large mixing bowl. Peel and dice the apple, chop the cilantro, slice the celery and scallions; add them all to the mixing bowl. Add the dried cranberries and toss to mix.
4. Finish the chicken. Remove the chicken from the hot water and place it in a shallow bowl in the freezer until it’s cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into 1⁄2-inch cubes and add them to the bowl with the nuts and dried cranberries. Add the dressing and toss to combine.
5. Make the salad bed. Wash the carrots and use a vegetable peeler to cut them into ribbons; place in a large mixing bowl. Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and add it to the bowl, along with the spinach. Add the juice of the 1⁄2 lime, olive oil, salt, and pepper; toss well.
6. To serve, place salad greens on serving plates and top with chicken salad.

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