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Home » Blog » Recipes » Madras Chicken Salad

Madras Chicken Salad

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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:

  • Bowls
  • Measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • Small whisk
  • Chef’s knife
  • Cutting board
  • Small silicone spatula
  • LunchBots Clicks Salad Container

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).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Madras Chicken Salad by Michelle Tam / Nom Nom Paleo https://nomnompaleo.com
Print Recipe
5 from 20 votes

Madras Chicken Salad

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.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time20 mins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: British
Keyword: gluten-free, low carb, paleo, Primal, Whole30
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 444kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

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

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

Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 28g | Fiber: 2g
33

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie says

    October 4, 2020 at 2:40 am

    5 stars
    My family loves this salad. Thanks for the recipe. We have made it several times.

    Reply
  2. Angela Ledgerwood says

    November 28, 2020 at 8:52 pm

    5 stars
    The salad will keep in the fridge for about an hour, by which time I will have gone back into the fridge & finished it off. Sooooo tasty.

    Reply
  3. MyThreeSons MKE says

    January 14, 2021 at 4:30 pm

    5 stars
    This is the BEST chicken salad recipe, yes, even though its Paleo. I have 3 teenage boys, one of which hates chicken, one of which hates curry and one of which who hates mayo. I cannot keep this in my frig – they ALL love it! Make ahead tips: keep shredded chicken on hand in glass freezer container and don’t forget to put a little chicken broth in there to keep chicken moist when you bring it out to defrost (in micro or frig); when ready, warm chicken and juice so chicken is ready to absorb flavors; add all ingredients and you are all set in 15 minutes.

    Reply
  4. Sophie Krich-Brinton says

    January 23, 2021 at 9:23 pm

    5 stars
    So good! Easy and delicious!

    Reply
  5. Linda S says

    January 27, 2021 at 9:49 pm

    5 stars
    Soooo delicious! I can’t believe I waited so long to try this! Now I’ll be making it all the time. Thanks for another great recipe!

    Reply
  6. MG says

    September 4, 2021 at 10:27 pm

    5 stars
    This salad is the best and very easy to fix. As others have noted, it doesn’t last long because it is so tasty!

    Reply

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