Sweet Spicy Curry Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Red Onions
Ingredients
- 2¼ – 2½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast - cooked & shredded (about 5 cups lightly packed)
- ½ cup water plus more if needed
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1½ Tablespoons curry powder OR ½ Tablespoon each: regular sweet and hot curry
- ½ Tablespoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes plus more to taste
- 1 cup red onion finely chopped (about ½ medium onion)
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley finely chopped + more for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a covered sauce pan, add the chicken breasts and water, and season with salt and pepper. Partially cover the pan (leave a small gap for steam to escape) and simmer chicken over medium heat for about ten minutes. Check and turn the chicken every ten minutes or so until tender and completely cooked through. Then, remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
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For the sauce: In a large mixing bowl (approx. 10 cup capacity), add the mayonnaise, sour cream, curry powder(s), turmeric, and crushed red pepper flakes, and stir with a spatula to completely combine ingredients. Add the chopped onion, dried cranberries, and fresh parsley (reserving a little of each for garnish if you’d like), and stir to combine. Add more red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
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Shred the cooked chicken and add to the sauce. Stir well, and serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours until ready to serve.
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To serve, garnish with additional chopped onions, dried cranberries, fresh parsley, and a sprinkle of curry powder (all optional), and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
*If making ahead for a party, you can certainly mix everything together, cover and refrigerate overnight. Keep in mind that the onions, cranberries, and parsley will soften a little. The chicken will also absorb the sauce a bit overnight, so the salad won’t be quite as creamy, but certainly not too dry. Reserve a 1/3 cup of the sauce or so, and mix it in with the salad just before serving if you’d like. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the shredded chicken and sauce separately, and mix it all together an hour or so before serving.
*The curry powder and turmeric add a bright, rich gold color to this dish that intensifies with time. As such, it’s even prettier when garnished with colorful dried cranberries, red onions, and fresh parsley. An extra sprinkle of curry powder on top is also a nice touch.
*This recipe is a Bacon Fatte original.