Urth Caffe Curry Chicken Salad Recipe

This curried chicken salad is tender and creamy. The exciting flavors come from the combination of warm curry spices mixed with tangy lime juice and sweet fruity chutney.

Scoop it onto a salad for lunch, serve it on endive spears for an appetizer or make a sandwich and pack it up for a picnic. Any way you serve this curried chicken salad, you are in for a treat. The recipe is easy, it can be prepared ahead, and the flavors are outstanding.

I've learned that there is often an interesting story that explains how a particular dish came to be. So whenever I'm working on a recipe, I always do a quick search into its origin, to see if I can find anything worth reporting. What I discovered about the history of curried chicken salad completely surprised me.

A Perfect Lunch, Part 1

I expected to find an India connection because of the curry. I didn't expect to learn that curried chicken salad was invented by Cordon Blue chefs in London to feed the 350 foreign dignitaries attending Queen Elizabeth II's coronation luncheon on June 2, 1953.

The dish which was described as ...a recipe of cold chicken in a curry cream sauce, came to be called Coronation Chicken. The coronation chicken recipe was later published in The Constance Spry Cookery Book (1959). Constance Spry was in charge of flowers for the Coronation banquet. Here's a look at the historical coronation chicken recipe.

In researching this recipe, I was also surprised to learn that curry powder did not originate in India. It's a British invention.

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich

When the British were colonial rulers over India in the mid-1800's delicious Indian curry recipes made their way back to Britain with returning colonialists. The curries used in these dishes were labor intensive, with upward of twenty different spices, freshly toasted and ground, for a single recipe.

Apparently British colonial cooks weren't too keen on going through the painstaking process of making the complex spice mixes. Plus, fresh spices were expensive and hard to find in Britain. The solution was curry powder. A British company called C&B manufactured the world's first curry powder and cooking recipes with curry became a lot easier.

There are so many curried chicken salad recipes out there, each with its own unique mix of delicious ingredients, from fruit to nuts. But if you want the best curried chicken salad, before you consider the variable ingredient additions, you have to be sure you've got the best possible base. The foundation of an excellent curried chicken salad is tender chicken and a fantastic curry mayonnaise.

Easy Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe: Make The Ultimate Curry Chicken Salad

This curried chicken salad recipe uses tender juicy homemade poached chicken and a curry mayonnaise that has a few special components that make it next-level delicious.

Though you'll love this curried chicken salad as is, you can also add your favorite ingredients to take it in whatever direction you like. Some popular additions include raisins, cashews, apples and celery.

Most curry mayo recipes for curried chicken salad are fairly similar, using curry powder for warm heat and spice, lemon or lime juice for brightness, honey or preserves for sweetness. This curry mayonnaise has a few special ingredients and techniques that make it off-the-charts delicious: sautéed onions and toasted curry powder. Plus, I highly recommend you use Madras Curry Powder. I've tried lots of curry powders and Madras is the clear winner.

Ina Garten's Curry Chicken Salad

To make the curry mayonnaise, finely chop the onion and sauté it in vegetable oil until tender and translucent. Add the curry powder and toast it in the pan with the onions for a minute or so, until fragrant. When the onions and curry have cooled to room temperature, stir them together with the mayonnaise, lime juice, chutney and salt.

If you make this Curried Chicken Salad Recipe I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

For The Poached Chicken (when you're in a hurry, skip this step and use 5 cups of tender leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken, shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces)

Curried Chicken Salad {without Mayo}

Learn More About Poached Chicken: If you want to poach chicken thighs, bone-in breasts or even a whole chicken, you'll find all the details in this post on How to Make Perfect Poached Chicken.

[Originally published Oct 15, 2013. Updated Jan 12, 2023. The same delicious recipe with some new photos, helpful links and more pertinent information added to the written post]Posted by Judy | Bebe Love Okazu on March 29, 2012 in Blog, Chicken, Meat & Poultry, Tea Party | Comments Off on Curried Chicken and Grape Salad with Walnuts

One of my favorite restaurants on the Westside of Los Angeles is the Urth Caffe. They serve a delicious chicken curry salad sandwich that I absolutely love. It’s fresh, flavorful, light and hearty, all in one delicious bite. I should also mention they have the BEST organic tea lattes EVER. Matcha tea latte and English Breakfast tea latte are my favorites!

Urth Caffe Delivery Menu

Because of geographical challenges, I don’t always have the opportunity to dine on the Westside, but these days, one of my favorite ways to use leftover chicken is to make curry chicken salad sandwiches. In the past, I’ve never enjoyed fruit mixed with proteins or salads, but my taste buds are changing with age. I made a curried chicken and grape salad with walnuts on wheat toast and it satisfied my craving for Urth Caffe’s yummy sandwich.

While it doest have the same ambiance as Urth Caffe, not too long ago I packed a lunch for Aya-chan, Bebe E and I to enjoy at the “Happiest Place on Earth”.

We enjoyed a nice picnic in California Adventure near a “lake” where we could watch the ducks swim. This is one of Bebe E’s favorite places to picnic in the park. The sandwiches were delicious, but I forgot that poor Aya-chan doesn’t like fruit or nuts mixed with protein. Perhaps her tastes will mature as mine have?

Celebrate Sunshine With Favorite East Bay Salads

The photo above was taken on one of our last trips to the Happiest Place on Earth, just before our pass expired. I was very shocked when Bebe E excitedly stood by herself with Minnie Mouse for a photo. All year, as we posed to take photos with Disney characters, she was adamant that Aya or I hold her. I was happy that, after a year, Bebe E was confident enough to pose all by herself. She even gave Minnie Mouse a hug! Awww…. she’s growing up!?! However, if you look closely at the photo, you’ll see that she has a bit of a worried look on her face.

While the curried chicken and grape salad sandwich was great for our little outdoor picnic, I can also envision tiny finger sandwiches of this flavorful chicken salad at a lovely tea party. Regardless of how or where you decide to enjoy this chicken salad, it will not disappoint.