During the recent heat wave, I have not been feeling like eating much that is cooked – so when I got a craving for Indian food recently I had to figure out how I would be able to get the flavors I wanted without standing over a steaming stove for very long.  This curry chicken salad fit the bill perfectly – it does require some cooking, however it’s very refreshing as it is served chilled.  I brought it to a cook out over the weekend, and it was quite a hit!  It tastes wonderful atop a bed of mixed greens, or in a sandwich, or even just on its own. 

Curry Chicken Salad – from Simplyrecipes.com, posted by Elise

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (or thigh, as I used), cut into 1 inch cubes
• Salt to taste
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 heaping Tbsp yellow curry powder
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 green onions, sliced

• Instructions

  Place oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Sprinkle salt over the chicken as it cooks; saute just until cooked through entirely – about 5 minutes.  Make sure no pink remains!  Remove chicken from the skillet.  Add the onions to the skillet and saute until beginning to turn translucent.  Sprinkle the curry powder over the onion and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.  If the powder sticks to the bottom, or the mixture is too dry, you may add another tablespoon or two of olive oil.  Add raisins and cook for another minute.  At this point remove from the heat, and stir in the mayonnaise.  Stir the chicken into the onion and raisin mixture, and chill until completely cooled.  When about to serve the chicken salad, mix in the apple, cilantro and green onions.