Packed with super flavorful spices, this curried chicken salad makes for the tastiest make-ahead lunch option!
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I love a good chicken salad, don’t you? Even better when it requires zero actual cooking and very little effort to pull together. This curried chicken salad calls for canned chicken (though you can absolutely use leftover shredded chicken or quickly whip up a batch of shredded chicken in the Instant Pot) for the easiest assembly, a bunch of spices, and seasonings for maximum flavor, and chopped jicama for really fantastic texture. This is a lunch that you’ll be looking forward to all morning!
Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients here are really simple. Outside of the canned chicken, jicama, and mayo, this list is all about boosting the flavor of classic chicken salad. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- 3, 5-ounce cans of chicken packed in water, drained
- 1 cup jicama, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- ¼ cup of mayonnaise – if you’d like to make your own mayo (it’s so easy and the flavor is richer and even more delicious than store-bought), be sure to check out our homemade mayo recipe.
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
- 2 heaping tablespoons of curry powder
- 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- ¼ cup of chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- 1 jalapeno pepper, cut into rounds, for garnish
Add-Ins & Substitutions for Curried Chicken Salad
- Swap the jicama – if you’re having trouble locating jicama at your local grocery store, feel free to swap it for another crunchy-textured veggie. Celery would be great here!
- Add golden raisins or cranberries – add golden raisins or dried cranberries for a nice hint of sweetness.
- Omit the jalapeno – if spice isn’t your thing, feel free to omit the jalapeno garnish!
- Use fresh shredded chicken – feel free to swap the canned chicken for either leftover shredded chicken or freshly made shredded chicken (the Instant Pot and slow cooker methods are my favorite).
How to Make Curry Chicken Salad
The process here is incredibly easy! Here’s what you’ll do:
- Chop your jicama – if you haven’t already, go ahead and peel and chop your jicama into ¼-inch pieces.
- Mix ingredients together – in a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together.
- Enjoy now or package for later – once mixed, either enjoy your chicken salad now or package it in lunch containers and store it in the fridge for later.
How to Serve
We love enjoying this curried chicken salad alongside crispy gluten-free crackers, but it would also be tasty next to crunchy raw veggies and a medley of fresh, juicy fruit.
If you prefer to enjoy your chicken salad in sandwich form, feel free (if you’re on the hunt for yummy gluten-free sandwich bread, we really love this one.) Keep in mind that pre-made sandwiches tend to get soggy, so if you’re going this route, go ahead and make the chicken salad ahead of time, but wait to actually make the sandwich until the day you plan on eating it.
How to Store
Store your chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge. Stored this way, this curried chicken salad will last for up to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken curry typically refers to a hot, soup-like curry dish like easy chicken curry. This chicken salad, on the other hand, features heavily curry-seasoned chicken (also known as “curried chicken”).
This recipe does not call for cumin but it does call for 2 heaping tablespoons of curry powder.
More Favorite Lunch Recipes
Chicken Curry Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 5-ounce cans of chicken packed in water drained
- 1 cup jicama peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 heaping tablespoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped, for garnish
- 1 jalapeno pepper cut into rounds, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients (besides the cilantro and jalapeno) together.
- Once mixed, garnish with cilantro and jalapeno and enjoy right away or packing in lunch containers and store in the fridge for later.
Recipe Notes
- Swap the jicama – if you’re having trouble locating jicama at your local grocery store, feel free to swap it for another crunchy-textured veggie. Celery would be great here!
- Add golden raisins or cranberries – add golden raisins or dried cranberries for a nice hint of sweetness.
- Omit the jalapeno – if spice isn’t your thing, feel free to omit the jalapeno garnish!
- Use fresh shredded chicken – feel free to swap the canned chicken for either leftover shredded chicken or freshly made shredded chicken (the Instant Pot and slow cooker methods are my favorite).
Nutrition
I want to make this, but I’m wondering if Greek yogurt would work instead of the mayo. Do you think it would be too thick?
Wondering if this would be okay made with canned tuna? I have SO many cans of it in the pantry……thoughts?
YES! It would be delicious with canned tuna, Nikki!
This is my second time making this chicken salad, and I LOVE it! This time I threw it over the “Simply Healthy Coleslaw”–SO good! I need to keep this in my lunch rotation.
Score! Thanks for sharing, Danielle!
This recipe is so so tasty! I loved how flavorful this recipe is. I used celery instead of jicama. Highly recommend if you want a protein packed lunch with lots of flavor. I actually didn’t have curry powder but learned you can make it from a blend of other spices (which I happened to have). I actually paired mine with a side of lentils. Lots of options!
We are so glad you enjoyed, Sarah! Thank you for sharing your delicious subs and tips! So helpful. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us. -Team FF
Made this for lunches for this week – YUM! So good and so quick to come together. I served it over mixed greens and it was so good! I had to sub in celery for the jicama bc we didn’t have any at my local grocery store. I def recommend adding in the raisins. The touch of sweetness pairs nicely with the warm spices and heat from the jalapeno.
We are so glad that you enjoyed, Erin! Thank you for sharing your delicious subs and for your feedback! We really appreciate it. -Team F&F