I love cold salads during the hot months of summer. They just really tend to hit the spot with fresh veggies and/or fruit. This recipe is one that tastes great from the start, but improves with time. This Curried Tropical Chicken Salad is one I got from my mom, and our whole family just loves it. I will admit mine probably isn’t as good as hers is.
Curried Tropical Chicken Salad is an easy and flexible meal to make!
The beauty of this Curried Tropical Chicken Salad is that it is easy to adjust how much you are making. And, if you prefer more bananas instead of pineapple, go for it! I usually try to make a good sized batch though. The curry can either be yellow or red, depending on your families taste buds. For more information, check out this interesting article:
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-are-curry-leaves-how-to-use-curry-leaves-in-cooking
Yvonne likes the peanuts added to the salad just before serving. They do add a great salty crunch to the tender chicken and fruit. We also added coconut flakes, which is not in Mom’s recipe, but it was the perfect addition.
Allergy alert: Keep in mind of any family or visitors that may have nut allergies!
The chicken part of this tropical salad
I normally take 3-4 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts and poach them in salted water. (see our recipe for Poached Chicken Breasts) for this recipe, or any other type of cold salad recipe. It doesn’t dry the chicken out, and leaves plenty of options for flavoring the chicken while it is cooking. In this recipe, I don’t add any other seasoning to the chicken some salt. I want the flavors of the salad to speak for itself.
To cook or cheat and buy the chicken already cooked?
If you don’t have time to cook chicken, or it is has just been one of those days, no worries! A Rotisserie chicken will work just fine. You may need 2 chickens depending on how many people you are serving, and whether or not you want leftovers. Believe me when I say, you want leftovers. This is a dish that goes quick in our house.
TIP: Keep the bananas separate and add them right before serving. They tend to discolor quickly.
If you love chicken salads then you have to try our Cajun Chicken Pasta Salad!!
I hope your family enjoys it as much as ours does.
Love Tanya
Curried Tropical Chicken Salad
Notes
This salad is both refreshing and filling! Perfect for those hot summer days. Serve with some crusty bread and butter.
Ingredients
- 3-4 poached boneless skinless chicken breast- cut into bite size pieces
- 2-4 large bananas
- 1-16 oz can pineapple chunks (reserve half of liquid)
- 1-11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup flaked coconut
- 1-2 stalks of celery, sliced
- 1 heaping tbsp mayonnaise
- 1-2 tbsp yellow or red curry powder
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- peanuts salted or unsalted
Instructions
- Peel and slice the bananas, gently toss with the lemon juice, and drain. This will help to prevent discoloration. Place them in a large bowl, add the pineapple, mandarin oranges, coconut flakes, celery, and coconut.
- In a separate bowl, combine the pineapple juice, curry powder, and mayonnaise. Whisk until smooth. Pour over salad ingredients, and using a rubber spatula, gently toss until everything is coated. Cover tightly and chill. When it is time to serve, give it another gentle stir. Put the peanuts out where everyone can reach them, and have the option of topping their salad with them.
- This is even better the next day, so if there are any leftovers, wrap tightly, and stir before serving.
Related posts:
How to Make Poached Chicken 
Cajun Chicken Pasta Salad 
Cilantro Lime Chicken and Black Bean Quesadilla 
Mom’s Molded Salad SupremePowered by YARPP.
yvonne 
