I can’t believe it has been four weeks since my last post. Time flies when you are…traveling. Five trips in six weeks was a lot, but it was wonderful to have the chance to catch up with family and friends and experience some lovely fall weather.
Cooking for two means a lot of leftovers, so I am constantly looking for creative ways to reinvent them so it feels like we are having a different meal. 😉 This chicken was leftover from some Laughing Spatula Roasted Lemon Chicken with Potatoes and Rosemary that I made. I used a combination of thighs and breasts when I made it, but the chicken I used for this salad was breast meat because that was what was left on day three.
This is a recipe that you can easily adapt based on what you have on hand. I often use raisins instead of grapes, and you can sub yogurt or sour cream or a combination of the two for some or all of the mayonnaise as well. If you don’t have leftover chicken or a rotisserie one and still want to make this, I recommend poaching the chicken, either tenders with this How to Make Tender Poached Chicken recipe from Once Upon a Chef, or whole breasts with this Poached Chicken – Juicy, guaranteed! recipe from Recipe Tin Eats. (I usually don’t add all of the other ingredients that it calls for, or just do the lemon and the bay leaf. I find US sized chicken breasts take 30 minutes to get to temperature, too.)
Chicken salad is comfort food and you don’t need many ingredients for this delicious version. This serves two, so if you want a larger portion, feel free to double or even triple all the ingredients.
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir completely to combine. Season to taste with more mayonnaise, salt, lemon juice or curry powder. Refrigerate until serving. Serve with salad greens or on toasted bread as a sandwich.
I took advantage of some leftover celery I had to make another salad as well. This unique recipe for Celery-and-Apple Salad With Crispy Buckwheat from Real Simple was also tasty. Stay tuned for another salad using crispy buckwheat soon!
Leftover Curried Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1½ cups cooked leftover chicken, chopped
- ⅓ cup grapes, quartered
- ¼ cup finely chopped celery
- 1 small shallot, chopped can substitute chopped red or white onions or scallions/green onions
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise can substitute Greek yogurt, sour cream, or a combination
- ¾ teaspoon curry powder or to taste
- ⅙ teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped optional
- 1 squeeze lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir completely to combine. Season to taste with more mayonnaise, salt, lemon juice or curry powder. Refrigerate until serving.
- Serve with salad greens or on toasted bread as a sandwich.