This Madras Chicken Salad is a great way to punch up a traditional chicken salad!

An overhead shot of a bowl of madras chicken salad with butter lettuce and limes.

Whipping up some chicken salad? Don’t you dare make a bland-tasting version tossed with plain old mayonnaise. Instead, punch it up with smoky, aromatic curry powder, crisp apples, fresh herbs, and toasted almonds. With just a few pantry items, you can radically transform a ho-hum dish into an elegant and flavorful meal.

Although this South Asian-inspired chicken salad is making its debut on my blog today, it’s been one of my favorites for years. In fact, this recipe first popped up in our iPad app almost three years ago, before making its second appearance in our first cookbook. When I’ve had a long day, I just throw this salad together and serve it on a giant bed of organic lettuce mix. Hosting a party? Spoon it into cucumber cups or on endive spears for a fancy hors d’oeuvre. No one’ll guess how little time it took!

Paleo madras chicken salad in a bowl with limes and butter lettuce.

If you made an extra roast chicken like I told you to yesterday, your main ingredient’s all set to go. Of course, if you don’t have any cooked chicken on hand and decide to purchase a rotisserie chicken instead, don’t worry—I won’t tell anyone. Confession: in a pinch, I’ll pick up Whole Foods Market’s Classic Organic, Salt and Pepper, or Perfectly Plain rotisserie chickens (prioritized in that order). These birds are minimally seasoned (if at all); in fact, according to my buds at Whole Foods, they’re roasted at the top of a vertical rotisserie oven so that the non-Paleo seasonings on the birds at the bottom of the oven can’t drip on ’em. (Still, a word of caution for allergy sufferers: because the birds are cooked in the same oven, wheat and soy contamination is nonetheless possible.)

So grab your cooked chicken, your Paleo Mayonnaise, and the rest of the ingredients, and let’s do this!

Time to make Madras Chicken Salad!

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup Paleo Mayonnaise (if you don’t feel like making it, buy Primal Kitchen Mayo)
  • ¾ teaspoon Indian curry powder 
  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice
  • Juice from ½ medium lime
  • 1 pound cooked chicken breast or thighs
  • ½ cup packed fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup almond slivers, toasted
  • 1 lime, sliced (optional for garnish)

Equipment:

Steps:

First, make the curried mayonnaise. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, curry powder, salt, and pepper to taste.

A bowl of curried mayo for a paleo chicken salad recipe.

Yes, folks—whenever possible, it’s important to taste your food so you can adjust the seasoning as needed.

Someone whisking the curried mayo.

In a separate bowl, toss the apple chunks with the lime juice. This will ensure that your apples won’t oxidize into brown, splotchy cubes—and the acid adds a nice zing to the salad, too. Shred the chicken by hand, and toss it into the bowl with the acidulated apples.

Someone adding cooked shredded chicken into a bowl with diced apples.

Add the cilantro, scallions…

Cilantro and scallions are added to a bowl of chicken and apples.

…and curried mayonnaise.

Someone mixing together ingredients for paleo madras chicken curry.

Mix well.

The ingredients for Madras chicken salad getting mixed in a bowl.

Plate it up! (I like to plop it on a bed of lettuce leaves because I’m fancy like that.)

Someone pouring Madras chicken salad into a bowl with butter lettuce leaves.

Top with toasted almond slivers.

Someone sprinkling toasted almonds on a bowl of madras chicken salad.

Done! How easy was that? If desired, you can serve with lime slices for a bit of extra zing!

Someone holding a bowl of madras chicken salad.

(Psst! You should pack it up for lunch in these amazing LunchBots stainless steel, leak-proof salad containers. Not a sponsor. I just love them!)


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


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Madras Chicken Salad

5 from 27 votes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Whipping up some chicken salad? Don’t you dare make a bland-tasting version tossed with plain old mayonnaise. Instead, punch it up with smoky, aromatic curry powder, crisp apples, fresh herbs, and toasted almonds. With just a few pantry items, you can radically transform a ho-hum dish into an elegant and flavorful meal.

Ingredients  

  • ½ cup Paleo Mayonnaise  if you don’t feel like making it, buy Primal Kitchen Mayo 
  • ¾ teaspoon Indian curry powder 
  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small Gala Fuji, or Honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice
  • Juice from ½ medium lime
  • 1 pound cooked chicken breast or thighs
  • ½ cup packed fresh cilantro roughly chopped
  • 2 scallions trimmed and thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup almond slivers toasted
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Instructions 

  • First, make the curried mayonnaise. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, curry powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Yes, folks—whenever possible, it’s important to taste your food so you can adjust the seasoning as needed.
  • In a separate bowl, toss the apple chunks with the lime juice. This will ensure that your apples won’t oxidize into brown, splotchy cubes—and the acid adds a nice zing to the salad, too.
  • Shred the chicken by hand, and toss it into the bowl with the acidulated apples. Add the cilantro, scallions, and curried mayonnaise, and mix well.
  • Top with toasted almond slivers and serve. The salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 28g | Fiber: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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Recipe Rating




12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This salad is delicious! I made instant pot chicken pho yesterday then this salad today with some of the chicken and am very satisfied. I’ve never made one of your recipes that wasn’t great. I’m sad the app isn’t going to be supported any longer; I have all your cookbooks(you even signed one!) but having the app on my ipad in the kitchen was just so convenient.