Ina Garten Curry Chicken Salad Recipe

This Ina Garten curry chicken salad has the perfect blend of sweet and savory!

Succulent chicken is tossed in a creamy, bold curry mayo dressing. The add-ins bring a little crunch, while the sweet chutney brings this salad to the next level.

It’s simply delicious!

Plus, it’s really easy to make! You simply roast the chicken breasts, make the dressing, and add mix-ins. But as a shortcut, you can use leftover roasted chicken too! (it’s even the perfect way to use chicken leftovers).

This Ina Garten recipe is ideal for a sandwich on the go, as a cold appetizer in summer or for a new years’ eve party.

My Adjustments

• I’ve sautéed onions with curry powder for an extra flavor kick.


• Instead of 1 ½ cup, I used 1 cup of mayonnaise only. I wanted to cut on the fat.


• Ina Garten includes 1 cup of celery, but I replaced it with carrots.


• She also adds ¼ cup of raisins. Any fresh fruit can do the trick. I decided to add one apple instead. I also replaced the cashews with hazelnuts.


• Finally, the barefoot contessa inserts ¼ cup of chopped scallions. Since it’s hard to find them in France, I left them out.

How To Make It

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan. Drizzle the skin with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken breasts in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Let the chicken breasts cool down until you can handle them. Remove the skin and bones and dice chicken into small chunks.

Put the chicken pieces into a bowl and set it aside.

In the saute pan, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Set the heat to medium, and when the oil is hot, add the onions.

Fry the onions until they’re golden brown. At that stage, stir in the curry powder and cook for a few minutes longer.

In the bowl of the food processor, add the onions and curry powder, wine, mayonnaise, chutney, and table salt.

Run the food processor until everything is very smooth.

Pour some of the dressing over the chicken pieces, and stir to combine. Continue adding the dressing until the chicken is moist.

Add the apple, carrot, and hazelnuts.

Stir to combine.

Cover the salad bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour, or longer if you can.

Pro Tips

• I’ve to admit, I’ve made quite a few changes in the original recipe (I can’t help it, in every recipe I make, I have to experiment!). You can even go a step further and replace the mayonnaise with plain, full-fat greek yogurt. This type of yogurt will give you a similar creaminess to mayonnaise.


• Curry chicken salad is better served cold. Don’t hesitate to let it sit for hours in your fridge. That way, the flavors will meld all together. But nothing prevents you from serving it warm. I’ve tried both ways and even if I prefer it cold, warm was tasty too!


• Since it contains mayonnaise and cooked chicken, don’t keep it longer than 3 – 5 days in the fridge. For the same reasons, you shouldn’t freeze it – Mayonnaise doesn’t freeze well.

More Ina Garten Salad Recipes

• Ina Garten Farro Salad


• Ina Garten Paella Salad


• Ina Garten Potato Salad

What Did You Think of My Recipe?

Give me your honest feedback and review in the comments section! Don’t forget to add a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐