Changing for the better, one bite and (deep) breath at a time.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Whole Foods Inspired Curry Chicken Salad

My husband Greg loves Whole Foods Curry Chicken Salad. At around $10 a pound, it's also pretty pricey. I wanted to figure out how to make it on my own so that I could control the ingredients AND save money. My inlaws enjoyed this with us a few weeks ago and really wanted the recipe; here you go, Chris! It would present really well for a baby or wedding shower, too.

It took me a while to find
this recipe, which is not on Whole Foods' website. It compares to what's on the ingredient list, and when prepared it tastes exactly like what you buy in the store. I will list the approximate price of each ingredient (for the amount of each ingredient actually used in the recipe) so that we can see how much ~2 1/2 lb of purchased chicken salad, which is about $25 at Whole Foods, would cost to make yourself. I bought the organic chicken thighs in bulk for $3.99/lb at Costco. I use thigh meat because that's what is on the ingredient list when you purchase the chicken salad, though it's not listed on the recipe I found.

Ingredients
2 lb organic chicken thighs ($7.98)
1/4 cup almond slivers ($0.50)

1/3 cup red currants ($0.67)

1 bunch scallions, chopped ($1.00 at the North Scottsdale Farmers' Market)

1/4 cup Major Grey chutney ($1.00)

1/4 cup safflower mayo ($0.50)

1 tsp. muchi curry powder ($0.16)

Salt and pepper to taste
Total cost: $11.81 - compare to $25.00 at Whole Foods for the prepared salad; that's less than HALF the price!)


Instructions

Arrange your ingredients:
Steam chicken breasts in a steamer basket until no longer pink in the middle. You can also poach it in 1" water. Cut the chicken into smaller pieces.

Add scallions:

Add currants:

Add almond slivers:

Ideally, you would combine the mayo, chutney, curry, salt, and pepper together before adding to the bowl. However, for sake of time, I just added them to the bowl individually.
Mayo (using more than the recipe called for this time):

Chutney:

Curry (I use about 1 T), salt, and pepper:

Stir it all together:

It's especially yummy when refrigerated for a few hours to let the flavors set. It's a nice treat and a great price! Enjoy!


*M*

12 comments:

  1. Thank you!!! I just made this and you really nailed the taste of the Whole Foods version! I go to Whole Foods just to buy this but now that I can make it at home, I will.

    I also added the chutney and the curry spice to my tuna salad... yum!

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  2. Thanks for sharing! I just discovered this amazing stuff and was scouring the web for a recipe. It turned out perfect! I used dried cherries because I had them on hand, and chopped cashews since my hubby prefers them, and I used Trader Joe's chutney because that was all I could find. Turned out just as delicious as the Whole Foods salad I bought last week :)

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  3. I made this recipe but turned it vegan by substituting veganaise for mayo & using gardein chik'n strips cut into chunks & made lettuce wraps. Yummy!

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  4. Thanks a lot. I thought it turned out really great. I used normal mayo, the almond slivers from Trader Joe's and the chutney from Whole Foods.

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  6. It's right on the money! And it does make a difference to let it sit overnight (if you can stand it) to let the curry infuse and the currants plump up. The only thing is that the cold causes the chicken to not be as tender as compared to when freshly cooked. Perhaps letting it sit out at room temp will remedy that. Or better yet, Mix and chill all of the ingredients sans chicken the night before, and then add to freshly cooked chicken and serve, thereby preserving the tenderness of the meat.

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  7. I can't wait to try this!! Do you have a brand of chutney you 'd recommend?

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    Replies
    1. In the first image, you can see she uses "Patak's" Major Grey's Chutney.

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  8. Glad to see so many folks agreeing this is like the original Whole Foods curried chicken salad.

    One question, the ingredients list has chicken thighs, but the instructions mention chicken breast. Does it matter which I use?

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    Replies
    1. Thighs are better tasting & better for you!

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    2. Nope! I boil and shred a whole chicken for a large batch.

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  9. Thank you for posting this!!!! SO good!

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