Cashew Curry Chicken Salad Recipe and Video

This cold curry chicken salad recipe is packed with cashews, curry, raisins, celery, and lime.

Cashew curry chicken salad is hands down one of my favorite "take and go" recipes for a day at the beach, park, or mountains.

Top view. Chunks of shredded chicken, with whole cashews, raisins, and celery in a yellow curry mayonnaise dressing. White bowl.

Serve this curry cashew chicken salad recipe with crackers, chips, on its own, or over a salad.

Curried Chicken Salad with Cashews is Versatile

The ingredients for this cashew curried chicken salad are versatile and interchangeable.

In the instructional video, I substituted sweetened cranberries because I was out of raisins. Another option would be fresh grapes.

Don't have cashews? Cool, try almonds, pecans, or pistachios instead.

Don't have lime? Use lemon juice instead or a little vinegar or skip it all together.

Don't like mayonnaise? Cool - trade it out for yogurt.

Don't want to cook the chicken? Cool - buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Only have chicken thighs? Perfect - those will work too.

Want to take this curry chicken salad up a notch? Add a spoonful of fruit flavored chutney like Major Grey's Mango Chutney to the top as a garnish. Or add some fresh fruit like grapes or finely chopped mango.

Vegetarians can substitute tofu or quorn in place of chicken for a vegetarian inspired curry salad with cashews.

Top view of ingredients: white plate of shredded chicken, bowl of cranberries, bowl of curry powder, bowl of salt and pepper, bowl of mayonnaise, bowl of cashews, plate of diced celery and red onions with a lime cut in half. — *I used cranberries instead of raisins because that's all I had. Still delicious!*

What Kind Of Curry For Chicken Salad?

Use any kind of curry that you like for this cold chicken salad. There are so many options. Try not to get caught up in the options and just pick one.

Ground curries have different heat levels. Most of them are mild. If working with a hot curry powder adjust the amount down a little bit.

Initially this looks like a lot of ground curry but it mixes in beautifully and tastes amazing.

Yellow orange bowl of unmixed ingredients: cranberries, cashews, shredded chicken salt, diced celery, curry powder and mayonnaise. 2 lime halves on the side. — I like to eat the curry with the cashews and raisins or cranberries marinated in it. They become softer and more flavorful. If you want crunchier cashews and dried fruit then stir them in immediately before serving.

Make Cashew Curry Salad In Advance

Make this chicken curry salad recipe ahead of time. The dried fruit (raisins or cranberries) and the cashews will become soft with time, but they taste really good marinated in the curry mayonnaise.

However, if you want crunchy cashews and drier fruit than stir those ingredients into the salad right before serving.

Yellow orange bowl of curry covered chicken salad with cranberries, whole cashews, and diced celery.

Cashew Curry Chicken Salad Recipe FAQS

Do you cook the chicken before adding the curry?

Yes! The chicken has to be cooked first before adding any of the other ingredients.

Can curry chicken salad be made without mayonnaise?

Yes! Make this chicken salad with your favorite dairy free alternative or use Greek yogurt if you don't like mayo.

Serving Suggestion

Serve this Curried Chicken Salad recipe with complementary dishes like:

Things In My Kitchen:

Teak cutting board - My go-to board. It's solid, holds juice run-off, and comes from sustainably managed plantations. It also has a stellar recommendation from Cook's Illustrated.

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Side view. Chunks of shredded chicken, with whole cashews, raisins, and celery in a yellow curry mayonnaise dressing. White bowl.

Cashew Curry Chicken Salad

Print Recipe

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4 from 1 review

EatSimpleFood.com

This easy curry chicken salad recipe is packed with punch: roasted & salted cashews, curry, raisins, celery, and lime. Hands down one of my favorite "take and go" recipes

Author: beckie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 5
Category: Main Dish / Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Indian / American
Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

1 ½ lb chicken breast
3 celery stalks, diced
¼ cup red onions, diced
⅓ cup raisins
1 lime, juiced
1 cup cashews, roasted & salted
2 tablespoon ground curry powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup mayonnaise

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a little sea salt.
Add chicken to boiling water for ~ 5-8 minutes (depending on thickness) or until chicken is done & juices run clear (165F).
Remove from heat, drain, and allow to cool. Basically, you need to cool these guys down before making the salad.
Dice or pull apart the cooled chicken breast and place in a large bowl.
Add remaining ingredients to bowl and stir.
Add more mayonnaise until your desired creaminess. Add salt to taste.
Serve with crackers, on sandwiches, over crispy romaine lettuce, or just eat by the spoonful. Be happy. Beckie

Notes

Making rice or soup later? Save the water you boiled the chicken in and use that as a weak broth to flavor other things.
Don't want to cook chicken? Cool - use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.

Cashew Curry Chicken Salad