Whenever I roast a whole chicken, I always have some pieces of leftover chicken. Most of the time, I pack away the leftover chicken for another meal during the week. Other times, I try to find creative ways to use up the leftover chicken. I love having leftovers because it forces me to find creative ways to use up or repurpose the leftovers. When I made my garlic, lemon, and rosemary roast chicken dish, Kevin and I ate all we can, but we still managed to have some leftover chicken. Most of the time, I use the leftover chicken and bones to make a hearty chicken soup. Chicken soup is the easiest way to use up leftover chicken since many of the components of the roast chicken dish can easily be combined into a soup. I usually toss in the roasted carrots and onion from the roast chicken dish directly into the soup. Other times, I use the leftover chicken to make a variation of my favorite chicken salad. I would toss in some mayo, dried and fresh fruits, and some crunchy celery and/or nuts. Those were the components of a basic chicken salad. Another variation of chicken salad I have been making is curried chicken salad. It features only a few staple ingredients, but when combined all together, the curried chicken salad is truly spectacular. The seasoned chicken and scallions lend a savory element to the dish. The apricot jam and dried cranberries add a delightful sweetness. The curry and cumin powder add a fragrant, unmistakably earthy spice to the dish. The mayo lends a creaminess to the overall dish. Other than curry powder and cumin, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper are the only other seasonings added to deepen the flavor of the chicken salad. Despite the simplicity of the ingredients, the end result is always remarkable. I’ve experimented with versions of my curried chicken salad over the years including adding diced apples, quartered grapes, diced celery, and sometimes crushed nuts. Yet, I keep coming back to my simplest version of curried chicken salad featuring just cubed chicken, thinly sliced scallions, and dried cranberries blended with a simple curry-cumin-apricot mayo. It’s very easy to pull together and always turns out great. My favorite way to serve curried chicken salad is to toast two slices of bread, layer on some baby arugula and baby kale, and scoop large scoops of curried chicken salad directly onto the bread and greens. It’s a great option for a simple lunch or afternoon tea. Kevin prefers a chicken salad over a bed of greens rather than a sandwich. The best part about chicken salad is it gets better the longer you chill the chicken salad in the refrigerator. I usually like to chill my curried chicken salad overnight to allow all of the flavors within the chicken salad to meld together. Just this month alone, I made curried chicken salad three times – once using leftover roast chicken and two other times using cooked and cubed chicken breasts. The curried chicken salad is a great option for an afternoon lunch, but also works wonders for a morning brunch.
For the curried chicken salad:
· ¼ cup mayonnaise
· ¼ cup apricot jam
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· 1 teaspoon curry powder
· ½ teaspoon cumin powder
· leftover roast chicken (or 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed)
· 3 stalks scallions, thinly sliced
· 3 ounces dried cranberries
· 2-3 ounces baby arugula or baby kale or both, for serving
· 2-4 slices of bread, toasted, for serving
Directions:
1) In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, apricot jam, kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, curry powder, and cumin powder.
2) If using leftover chicken, use a knife to cut the chicken into medium chunks or use a fork to shred the chicken into medium-sized pieces. If using cooked chicken breasts, cut the chicken breasts into cubes or shred the chicken breasts into medium-sized pieces. Add the cooked chicken to the bowl with the mayonnaise mixture. Fold in the thinly sliced scallions and dried cranberries and stir to combine all ingredients. Chill the curried chicken salad in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.
3) To serve, arrange a handful of baby arugula or baby kale onto slices of the toasted bread and top with scoops chicken salad. Press the two slices of bread together to form a sandwich.
Takeaways: Chicken salad is a very versatile dish and is a great way to use up leftover roast chicken. For a basic version of chicken salad, omit the apricot jam, curry powder, and cumin, and follow the rest of the instructions above. To dress up the chicken salad even more, try adding diced celery, diced apples, and/or quartered grapes. Try serving the chicken salad with variations of toasted bread (cinnamon raisin, honey whole wheat, or Italian loaf) for another tasty element.