The best Curried Chicken Salad loaded with crunchy fresh veggies and juicy mango, this salad is guaranteed to be a hit. It's easy to make, gluten-free, and dairy free as well. You can meal prep this for workweek lunches or prep it ahead for entertaining and brunch menus.
1poundcooked chickenthighs or chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces, see notes
3/4cupfinely diced celeryfrom about 2 stalks
1/2cupgreen onionthinly sliced
1/2cupgrated carrots
1/4cupcilantrochopped
2cupscubed mango1/2", from 2 small champagne mangoes, 8 ounces, see notes
Optional to make a sandwich, meal, or wrap:
baby spinach, spring mix, or arugulato serve this salad on a bed of greens, + roasted cashews
Lettuce leaves for wrappingabout 8-12 from 1 head green or red leaf lettuce
Bread, tortillas, or wraps of choice if desired
Instructions
Place all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to completely combine. Set the dressing aside in the refrigerator while you prep the chicken salad.
Add the cubed chicken to a medium-sized mixing bowl along with the celery, green onion, grated carrots, and cilantro. Mix to combine.
Pour the curried mayo dressing over the chicken salad. Stir to completely combine and season to taste with more sea salt and pepper if needed.
The curried chicken salad can be refrigerated at this point for up to 1 day. When you're ready to serve it, add the diced fresh mango and stir to combine.
Or you can use any of the fruit suggestions in the notes below. If you use dried cranberries, add those right away with the dressing.
Serve the curried chicken salad with bread, tortillas, and/or lettuce leaves for wrapping. You can also serve this on a bed of greens like baby spinach, spring mix, or arugula.
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Notes
For the cooked chicken, preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until the chicken is done in the center, or a thermometer reads 165ºF. Boneless skinless will take about 20-25 minutes, and bone-in will take about 40 minutes.If you can't find fresh mango, diced apples, diced oranges, or halved grapes all work really well with this salad. You can also use 1/2-3/4 cup roughly chopped dried cranberries, or even raisins.I prefer to let the chicken salad sit for at least 2 hours in the fridge to let the flavors meld, and the dressing really sinks into the chicken. I either make it the night before and take it for lunch for the next 2-3 days. Or I make it in the morning to serve at a brunch or light dinner.The nutrition facts were calculated with the mango but without the wraps or bread of choice.