So I know I am dating myself when I say my cooking beginnings go WAY back and certain foods for me spark memories. My grandmother’s coconut cake that was served on my birthday because I shared my birthday celebration with my grandfather and that cake was special to me. Or my mom’s cheese fondue that I remember fondly every Christmas along with the flaming plum pudding. Or my father’s homemade pita bread and alfalfa sprouts always a DIY experiment, also brings back really nice childhood memories for me.
This curry chicken salad marked a time when I was just beginning to cook professionally and it was a dish on the menu at Gate’s restaurant. The go to place to eat that featured what was back then, a nod to California cuisine. The spot where you always went for a family brunch, date night and a great burger. I was hired to work the salad and prep station as my internship from Culinary school and this salad was the most popular one on the menu. It was for the ladies who lunched. It was a simple salad, yet for the time, it was quite an exotic dish filled with amazing new combinations. Curry, grapes and avocado together was mind blowing. In lieu of just a sandwich this dish made CT feel like you’re in California. It really fit the bill for those calorie counters, it equated to a “no” extra-carbs kind of dish and was really cutting edge. Look how far we have come and then again, really not far at all.
Curry Chicken Salad
4 servings
Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts
3 cups Water
2 Cloves Garlic
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Mayonaise
2 Tablespoons Curry Powder
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon ExtraVirgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Chutney (optional) or cubed Mango
Salt and Pepper
A handful of Red or Green Grapes cut into 1/4’s
Scallions
Slivered Almonds
Avocado
Mesclun Greens
Instructions
Place the whole boned and skinned chicken breast in a pot of cold water seasoned with salt, pepper and the garlic cloves.
Cover and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 min. Remove the chicken breasts into a colander and run with cold water until cooled completely.
The chicken broth can be saved and used later on for a soup or sauce and it will keep in the refrigerator for a week.
In a large bowl add the mayonnaise, curry powder, paprika, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, chutney or mango, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
Cube the chicken breasts and place in the bowl. Peel and mash the garlic cloves and add them to the chicken.
Add the almonds, grapes and scallions. Stir until the chicken is coated nicely with the curry dressing.
Cut the avocado in half, pit it then trim the bottom so it can sit flat on a plate with mesclun greens.
Notes
You can always add more curry if you like it to have more flavor or for extra zip add more paprika. This unmistakable vibrant yellow color and curry flavor provides a terrific contrast with the sweetness and colors of the grapes. It is a nice way of introducing spice blends to kids.