Heart Healthy Curry Chicken Salad

Chicken salad with creamy mayo and warm, robust tastes of heart healthy curry and sage. This chicken salad is light, yet filling and has loads of flavor.

I love chicken salad. It’s quick and easy to mix together and it’s a great way to use up leftover chicken. You can change it up each time you make it depending on what ingredients you have available and what you’re in the mood for. Try adding dill, basil, relish or pickles. It’s also a healthy choice for a lunch or dinner meal. Chicken breasts are packed with protein, vitamins & minerals. Chicken salad is also a perfect prep-ahead food that you can make at the beginning of the week and have prepared for your lunch or a quick dinner. It can be eaten on top of a bed of lettuce, in a lettuce wrap or a tortilla wrap, on a bun, between slices of bread or just grab a big bowl and dig in!

Chicken salad is an easy go to for a potluck or get together. Try these other chicken salad recipes Herby Chicken Salad, Tarragon Chicken Salad with Golden Raisins and Toasted Pecans along with some chopped fresh vegetables, crackers or slider rolls for the perfect addition to any spread.

What you need to make this chicken salad

Cooked chicken breasts– Chicken salad is a great way to use up leftover chicken. Dice up leftover breasts or shred them with a fork and your fingers depending on your preference
Diced onion
Garlic powder
Dried parsley
Dried sage
Curry powder
Turmeric powder
Ground ginger
Dijon mustard
Homemade mayonnaise (I promise it’s quick and totally worth making)

Good for you ingredients

Curry powder & Turmeric powder

I had no idea when I was using my curry powder that it was actually a mix of seasonings and spices. Common spices used in curry powder are: turmeric, ginger, mustard, cumin, and black pepper. There IS pure curry seasoning, but I’d say most of us are purchasing curry powders from the grocery store. The turmeric used in curry (and in this recipe it’s doubled) can help control blood pressure by protecting and improving the lining and functioning of our blood vessels which can lower the risk of heart disease, strokes and heart attacks.

Homemade mayonnaise

Most store bought mayonnaises use canola and soybean oils which cause inflammation in our bodies and have been linked to causes of obesity, diabetes, anxiety & depression. Inflammation in the body is the root cause of every disease and dysfunction in our bodies and researchers are learning more about the mass amount of inflammatory oils we are consuming in processed foods that are making us sick. My homemade mayonnaise recipe uses avocado oil which has high levels of monounsaturated fats that studies have shown can help protect against heart disease.

How to store leftovers

To store: place any leftover chicken salad in a sealable glass container. I recommend eating within 2-3 days.
To freeze: I do not recommend freezing chicken salad.

In a hurry? Try these shortcuts...

Try canned chicken. I recommend using 3, 5 ounce cans or 2 of the 12 ounce cans. BE CHOOSY with your chicken! Some products may contain fillers and other added ingredients for flavoring. I recommend Valley Fresh 100% Natural Chicken Breast which contains chicken with rib meat, water and sea salt. Or if you want a lower in sodium choice try Hormel Premium No Salt Added.
Store bought mayonnaise instead of homemade. If you don’t have time to prepare homemade mayonnaise I recommend Dukes Real Mayonnaise which uses soybean oil, eggs, vinegar, salt, paprika and one preservative that has been shown to pass through your body pretty easily. I also recommend Kewpie Japanese mayo for the taste and texture, however it does contain MSG or Primal Kitchen’s Mayo made with avocado oil and organic eggs, vinegar, sea salt and rosemary extract. It tastes different from mayonnaise made with soybean oil, but it is a heart healthier choice.