curried chicken salad

It's been getting difficult to have lunch dates with Austin without my husband. Like any typical toddler, one his tummy is full and happy, all he wants to do is run around or climb on anything in sight. So for my latest playdate with another mommy, Jody, we met for a nice picnic in the park. I whipped up some curried chicken salad and Jody brought some fresh berries and challah bread from the South Pasadena farmer's market. This chicken salad has everything I crave at a picnic on a sunny day: spice, salt, sweetness, crunch, and juicy meat.

There's a few key elements to my chicken salads. First is the sweetness from fruit. I've never thought of putting fruit in any type of salad until my friend, Thu, made her version of curried chicken salad for me years ago. If I remember correctly, she used fresh grapes in her recipe. It was amazing and I was immediately hooked. With this recipe, I used raisins and apples. Since then I've thrown all sorts of dried and fresh fruits into my pasta salads, chicken salads, tuna salads, etc. Another key component is the juicy meat, I always use rotisserie chicken. It just adds another layer of flavor and saves you a step in the kitchen. And last key ingredient are the crunchy seeds and nuts. Not being able to decide what to use from my pantry, I threw in everything I had: almonds, flaxseeds, and sunflower seeds. Best. Decision. Ever.

curried chicken salad
ingredients:

• 1 rotisserie chicken, bone and skin removed and chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup seeds and nuts of choice (I used flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and chopped almonds)
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• salt and pepper 

directions:

1. toss everything in a large bowl until well combined. add salt and pepper to taste. 
2. serve over fresh greens.