While adding curry powder to chicken salad is nothing new, frying curry paste and mixing it into yogurt (instead of mayonnaise) to form the base of this bright, aromatic spin feels like a revelation. Red curry paste adds deep flavors of chili peppers, lemongrass, makrut lime, and shallots. Store-bought rotisserie chicken makes this meal come together fast. And the combination of fresh vegetables like celery and herbs provides a crisp, refreshing contrast to the bold spiciness of the curry paste. This is especially satisfying in the summer, when you’re looking to lean on recipes requiring minimal prep and stovetop cooking. Here we serve it on crunchy lettuce, but it’s equally delicious in wraps and sandwiches.
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What you’ll need
Small Saucepan
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Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Chef’s Knife
$115 At Hedley and Bennett
Measuring Spoons
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Recipe information
Total Time
30 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
1
3
1
3
2
½
½
1
6
2
⅓
2
⅓
Preparation
Step 1
Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium. Cook 3 Tbsp. red curry paste, stirring often, until fragrant and slightly darkened and beginning to stick to bottom of pan, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl; let cool.
Step 2
Stir 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, 2 tsp. honey, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt into curry paste.
Step 3
Add ½ medium red onion, finely chopped, 1 celery stalk, finely chopped, 6 sweet gherkins, chopped, 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken with skin, and ⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro to dressing and toss well to coat. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Step 4
Arrange 2 heads of Little Gem lettuce or romaine hearts, leaves separated, on plates. Scoop about 2 Tbsp. chicken salad onto each leaf. Top with ⅓ cup coarsely chopped salted roasted peanuts.
Leave a Review
Reviews (4)
Back to TopExcellent healthyish dinner. Maesri red curry is pretty spicy. I loved it, but some of my family found it too hot to red. Thai Kitchen red curry, which is more likely to be found in your local grocery store (unlike Maesri) is much milder.
Rojoyo
Seattle
4/4/2024
I have long subscribed to BA and really enjoy the recipes but wish they would include nutritional values to help subscribers who are trying to follow any number of diets or lifestyles stay their respective courses.
Anonymous
7/23/2023
This is very delicious, and the Maesri red curry paste is delightfully complex and not too spicy, which I appreciated. I would say the whole milk yogurt is a must. The first time I made this, I used nonfat yogurt because that is what I had on hand, and while it was still very tasty, it paled in comparison to the next time I made it with the whole milk yogurt! I also added more cilantro than called for, because I really love the taste and it doesn't overpower since there are a lot of strong flavors going on. I did the lettuce cup thing and it has been one of my favorite lunches! One can of the curry paste makes a good 2-3 recipes, depending on how much you add. I will definitely continue to make this - I may try out the different curry pastes that Maesri offers to see how I like them as well.
Danielle S.
Fort Myers, FL
7/21/2023