Curried Chicken Salad

Amarante

Mon, Aug 24 2020, 11:29 am

This is the dish that launched Ina Garten's career - a staple at her takeout store in the Hamptons for decades.

It is an excellent chicken salad recipe for those who like curried chicken salad - which I do. Smile

You can use any cooked chicken breast but I would probably not want to use a highly seasoned chicken which fought with the other flavors.

Curried Chicken Salad

Excerpt From: Ina Garten. “Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family

Serves 6

This chicken salad has been offered at Barefoot Contessa for more than twenty years and customers would be cranky if we changed it. But make it your way—sweet or spicy and with or without raisins and cashews. The good news is that it’s best made in advance, but add the cashews at the last minute so they stay crisp.

3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups good mayonnaise
⅓ cup dry white wine
¼ cup Major Grey’s chutney
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup medium-diced celery (2 large stalks)
¼ cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
¼ cup raisins
1 cup whole roasted, salted cashews

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and dice the chicken in large bite-size pieces.

For the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, wine, chutney, curry powder, and 1½ teaspoons salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth.

Combine the chicken with enough dressing to moisten well. Add the celery, scallions, and raisins, and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Add the cashews and serve at room temperature.

To roast cashews, place them in a dry sauté pan over medium-low heat and stir until they’re a little crisp, about 5 minutes.