Trader joes curry chicken salad recipe

I'm somewhat of a reluctant cook. Things need to be fast and simple, just like this Curry Chicken Salad - a yummy alternative to the traditional chicken salad.

I was first turned onto this yumminess by the chicken salad Trader Joe's offers in their refrigerator section. So I got to experimenting and created something so yummy my husband has to fight me for it.

This is not so much an exact recipe, as it is some inspiration. Have fun with it!

Curry Chicken Salad Ingredients

• 2 lbs cooked and cooled pastured chicken

• 1/2 cup mayo (to start)

• 3 heaping teaspoons of Trader Joe's curry powder

• 1/2 cup (or more) of organic raisins

• Optional: diced apples, shredded carrots, crushed cashews, cranberries, diced celery

• Maple syrup (to taste)

• Sea salt (to taste)

(We didn't have many ingredients on hand at the time, so I didn't use any of the optional ingredients in the photo above, and it still turned out amazing.)

We cooked a whole, pastured, organic chicken in the crockpot until it was falling off the bone, and used a mixture of dark and white meat. Once it was cooled, we diced the already shredded meat to our liking.

Then it was as simple as dumping in whatever we had on hand that sounded yummy, drizzling the top with raw honey, and mixing it all well with the mayo.

We've also experimented with a few more seasonings: cumin, coriander, a dash or red pepper. It never turns out bad, so have fun with it!

It makes a perfect lunch, potluck dish, or light dinner. We like to spread it out on the lunch table with fruit and veggie slices, wrap it in lettuce for a sandwich wrap, or eat it straight from the bowl while no one's looking.

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I enjoy a good chicken salad sandwich for lunch, particularly on special bread such as sourdough or a crescent. Aldi sells several types of chicken salad that are good when I need something quick and convenient, or sometimes I make chicken salad from scratch using pasture-raised chicken from a local farm.

Trader Joe’s, which is a cousin to Aldi, also sells several types of chicken salad in its deli section. I spotted one version with a curry flavor and, being a fan of Indian food, I had to try it. (TJ’s, by the way, has an excellent selection of Indian-inspired dishes, including butter chicken, paneer tikka masala, vegan tikka masala, and more.)

Trader Joe’s Curry Chicken Salad cost $4.49 for an 11-ounce container at the time of publication. The label states this is “slightly sweet with a spicy kick.” It is perishable and should be kept refrigerated. The container I purchased on June 20th had a use-by date of July 21st, but I think it’s probably better to use it up sooner than that, considering this has ingredients such as fresh carrots, green onions, etc. With that said, I finished my container on July 6th and it was fine.

The container states to use this like any kind of chicken salad: on salad, in a sandwich, or as a meal on its own.

Ingredients include chicken breast meat, mayo, carrots, raisins, honey, green onions, cashews, curry powder (cumin, coriander, turmeric, ground mustard seed, cardamom, fenugreek seed, cayenne pepper), lime juice, and sea salt.

Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

If you’re looking out for allergens, this contains egg and cashew.

There are about three 1/2-cup servings per container. One serving has 300 calories, 20 grams of total fat (26% DV), 1.5 grams of saturated fat (8% DV), 330 mg of cholesterol (14% DV), 21 grams of total carbohydrates (8% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV), 15 grams of total sugars, 7 grams of added sugars (14% DV), and 12 grams of protein.

Just after opening, prior to stirring. It looked much chunkier after stirring.

The first thing I noticed after opening and stirring this container of chicken salad is just how many things are in it besides chicken. It has visible raisins, carrot slivers, cashew halves, and green onion slices. The chicken pieces themselves are very small and mixed in with a generous amount of sauce.

I had this on some Aldi everything bagel-seasoned sourdough bread as well as on some Aldi whole grain white bread. I wasn’t sure how much I would like it, especially considering that I don’t like raisins all that much. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this chicken salad is. It is not spicy, but it is aromatic and has a complex sweet and savory flavor owing to all the spices along with the combination of veggies and chicken. This takes chicken salad to a whole new level. If you like Indian food and curry, this is well worth picking up.

The Verdict:

Trader Joe’s Curry Chicken Salad has a unique mix of small bites of chicken along with carrot slivers, cashew halves, green onions, raisins, and curry seasoning with a mayonnaise base. It has good flavor but isn’t spicy. It’s an obvious choice if you enjoy Indian food.

About Rachael

Rachael is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. When she isn't busy shopping at Aldi, she enjoys cooking, gardening, writing gothic romance, and collecting more houseplants than she probably should. You can learn more about her at rachaelsjohnston.com.