This Curried Chicken Salad recipe is easy to make. Eight ingredients are all it takes to make this chicken salad. Perfect on top of lettuce or sandwiched between your favorite bread, this is the perfect lunch.

Growing up to me this was Coronation Chicken Salad. And it still is.
Curried Chicken Salad= Coronation Chicken for our family.
Sure ham and cheese sandwiches are great but a curried chicken salad sandwich is anything but ordinary. Full of flavor, super filling and creamy this chicken salad recipe is fantastic, putting your ham and cheese to shame!!
Jump to:
What is Coronation Chicken?
Based on the curry you are probably thinking this is an Indian recipe but low and behold it's British! The recipe was created for the banquet of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
There are many versions of this sandwich. It is often made from curry powder, sometimes its made from a blend of spices, sometimes almonds, raisins, chutney, or apples are added. This recipe is my families version.
I recently made this Curried Chicken Salad Recipe for an Afternoon Tea I hosted for some of my girlfriends. I was surprised by how much everyone loved it. Of course, we also indulged in homemade clotted cream, scones, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches and the list goes on. Check back for those recipes. Right now grab my Mini English Sherry Trifles recipe or my Brown Butter Shortbread.
How do you make Curried Chicken Salad?
This recipe is easy. Starting off with some shredded chicken. I find the easiest way is to poach/ boil the chicken- check out my how to poach chicken breasts post for a step by step guide.
Once your chicken is cool and shredded add it to a big bowl and pile in your ingredients. I based this recipe off of 1lb of shredded chicken so feel free to half or double this recipe depending on how many people you are serving. One pound of chicken made 4 good sandwiches.
To the bowl of shredded chicken add curry powder, celery, green onions, and either all mayo or a split of mayo and Greek yogurt.
Can I make Curried Chicken Salad with no mayo?
I generally try to use a mixture of both mayo and Greek yogurt when making "salad" recipes for a healthier version.I tried with less mayo more Greek yogurt and it just didn't work right. To really enjoy this curried chicken salad you need the mayo. By all means, you can make it with all yogurt, just expect a less creamy chicken salad.
You can also add more celery if you'd like. This ratio was good for me but if you want more or less just adjust the recipe. Another great ingredient you can add? Grapes! I just didn't but it is a great addition.
Where can you buy curry powder?
Most stores should carry it. I pick mine up at my local Kroger store, Ralphs.
Curry powder. It's strong and oh so rich in color. Feel free to taste as you go along. I would start with 3-4 tablespoons of curry powder and adding more if you want more of a curry punch. I love curry flavor so I went with 5 tablespoons of curry powder.
Once the chicken salad is made I cover it and let it chill in the fridge, this recipe is best served chilled in my opinion. While I often have a curried chicken salad sandwich you could totally spoon it on top of some romaine lettuce leaves or spinach for a low carb option.
And the benefit you can make this and eat it for a few days, we all love a good meal prep recipe.
What bread should I use for the sandwich?
Totally up to you, while I love serving it on a French baguette (because French baguette) I also love it on wheat bread. Recently I have used Dave's Killer Bread and a French baguette from Whole Foods.
More delicious chicken recipes are my chicken parmesan meatballs, chicken lettuce cups or chicken pot pie.
- One Year Ago: Carrot Layer Cake
- Two Years Ago: Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Four Years Ago: Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee
- Five Years Ago: White Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Cups #chocolateparty
- Six Years Ago: Reeses Stuffed S'mores Bars
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
Make sure to join our Newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.
PrintRecipe Card
Curried Chicken Salad Recipe
This Curried Chicken Salad recipe is easy to make. Eight ingredients are all it takes to make this chicken salad. Perfect on top of lettuce or sandwiched between your favorite bread, this is the perfect lunch.
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 Sandwiches 1x
Ingredients
- 1lb Shredded Chicken, cool or cold (easy and quick recipe for boiling chicken breast)
- 5oz Chopped Celery
- ½oz Chopped Green Onions
- 3-5 Tablespoons Curry Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Ground White Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 7oz Mayonaise
- 5oz Greek Yogurt
Instructions
- In a large bowl add all of your ingredients. I suggest starting off with 3 tablespoons of curry powder and adding more to your liking, making sure to mix well in between. Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl so that every piece of chicken is coated.
- Once the mixture is fully combined cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve between your favorite bread or on top of some lettuce or a salad.
Notes
*For a fun spin add ½ cup of chopped roasted almonds and ½ cup of dried cranberries
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: English
Keywords: curried chicken salad recipe, curried chicken salad sandwich
Cassie says
Everyone needs to try this recipe. I’ve had it over spinach and on bread. Delicious either way!
Elizabeth says
Cheers Cassie!!
Casey says
So delicious! Could eat this every night!
★★★★★
Elizabeth says
Thank you so much for letting me know Casey! Glad you love it!!
Crystal Faulkner says
This looks so good!
Elizabeth says
Thanks Crystal, it really is!!
Liz Della Croce says
This looks so delicious! I need to try this!
Jersey Girl Cooks says
This looks really delicious!
★★★★★
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
I love the curry flavor! Never thought of putting it on a sandwich. I bet it's delish!
Elizabeth says
It's so fun on a sandwich, always need to mix it up with sammys!
lydia says
wow can't wait to make it this weekend
★★★★★
Carolyn says
This looks amazing! I love all the flavors together! Perfect for lunch!
Elizabeth says
Cheers Carolyn!
Alexandra says
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! I'm not a huge chicken salad sandwich person but I love Indian seasonings, so I thought I would give it a try. It was great and so easy to make. I served it on whole wheat flat bread with tomato slices and spring mix greens, which came out very nice. My boyfriend loves chicken salad sandwiches and slowly said "oh my god" when he bit into it, haha. So, we will definitely be holding on to this recipe. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Elizabeth says
Thank you so much for the lovely review, Alexandra! I have never had it on flatbread, I need to try it!!!
Janna says
WOWzers! I added 4 tablespoons of organic curry powder and holy moly was it spicy and delicious!! I used Greek yogurt with honey, and added sliced almonds and craisins as suggested and it was wonderful!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Love the honey!!! Sounds fantastic Janna, thank you so much for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it!! XX Liz
Theresa McInerney says
Happy food dance!!! Love this yumminess! I added cilantro, cashews and craisins. Also used half mayo-half Greek yogurt. Ate with crackers.
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Yay so glad you enjoyed it, I love adding nuts and cranberries too!! Thank you so much for reporting back, I appreciate it so much!! XX Liz
Marcie says
The perfect ratio of each ingredient for a delicious chicken salad. I like mine to be a bit sweet, so I added 1/2 cup golden raisins and 2 tablespoons of honey and it was amazing! Great recipe!
★★★★★
Jill Scalzo says
What can I substitute for Greek yogurt? I'm not a fan of it.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Jill, you can use all Mayonaise if you'd like! Please let me know if you try the recipe would love to know what you think! XX Liz
Gayle says
Stumbled across this recipe, so yummy! Will definitely be making it again!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Gayle, thank you so much for this lovely review. So glad you enjoyed this chicken recipe. So much flavor - I love this one too! Take care. XX Liz