Thursday, February 4, 2010

CEiMB: Curried Chicken Salad




I am so excited because this is my week to select a recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly! The recipe I chose for my fellow bloggers and me to make is the Curried Chicken Salad from So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger. It's a very simple, but delicious salad consisting of chicken and grapes in a yogurt curry sauce.

First of all, I really love the flavor of curry powder, so I was sure that I would like this salad, but I was quite impressed how well the flavors were balanced. The warm spice of the curry balances well with the sweetness of the grapes and the bitterness of the cilantro, and the almonds added a nice crunch and contrast in texture. I actually mixed my sliced almonds into my salad instead of sprinkling them on top. Many chicken salads feel heavy and rich, but this was very light. The recipe doesn't make a lot of sauce, just enough to coat the chicken and grapes, so it doesn't weigh them down, and their flavors really come through. I served my salad on a bed of spinach sprinkled with lemon juice along with toasted whole-wheat pita chips.

The recipe on the Food Network website includes instructions for poaching chicken, so I have included the instructions for that as well in case you wish to cook your chicken that way.

I want to thank all of my fellow bloggers over at Craving Ellie in My Belly for participating with me! I really enjoyed this recipe, and I hope that they did too. Be sure to check out their blogs as well to see how they made their Curried Chicken Salad.





Curried Chicken Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 pounds, poaching instructions below)
  • 1 cup halved red grapes
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 5 ounces mixed greens (about 5 cups lightly packed)
  • 4 lemon wedges
  • 4 ounces pita chips

Directions:
  • For poaching the chicken: Bring the broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken to broth and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Turn the heat off and let chicken stand in the cooking liquid, covered, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and cool completely in the refrigerator. Cut into 1/4-inch dice.
  • Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, and curry powder. Fold in the chicken, grapes and cilantro and season to taste, with salt and pepper. This salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  • To serve, put a scoop of the chicken salad on a bed of greens and top with the toasted almonds. Add a lemon wedge to squeeze over the greens jut before eating. Serve with pita chips.

Serving size:
  • 1 cup chicken salad
  • 1 1/4 cups mixed greens
  • 1 lemon wedge
  • 1 ounce pita chips


11 comments:

Mary Ann said...

I really enjoyed this recipe. One of my faves so far. You described it perfectly too!
Great pick! Yours looks yummy with the addition of the pita chips.

Kayte said...

Thanks for the pick, Sarah, it was a big hit at our house with everyone and will definitely get more playing time in the near future. Yours looks great...the guys mixed the almonds in their portions as well and that worked nicely.

teresa said...

this was fantastic! i'll be eating this over and over!

Joanne said...

Great pick, Sarah. Ted said it had more flavor today (for lunch). In my opinion, it made too much sauce (too creamy). Ted loved the creaminess of the dish. Oh well...can't please everyone.

Leslie said...

What a great pick! I really enjoyed this and was sad when I ate the last of it. I love how you served it with pita triangles.

Anonymous said...

After having made a few of Ellie's creamy salads in the past and being disappointed, I decided to sit this one out. I can't believe how well-received it's been; everyone seems to love it! Definitely regretting not giving it a try and am putting it on my list of things to make soon.

逛街 said...
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Rachel said...

I just got around to posting...just wanted to say thanks for being our host this week!

I really enjoyed this recipe and will be making it again.

Recovering Sociopath said...

This looks like it would be really delicious without the vile taint of cilantro. :) Perhaps I'll make a parsley version.

Pamela said...

Your salad looks lovely and it was a tasty pick. I made the salad, but never got the post up about it. I never would have made it with out CEiMB. Great job!

Mary said...

Great recipe. Thanks so much for the pick. I like the pita chip idea too.