This is what we call a keeper. Big time. Not only is this chicken salad mind-blowingly easy to make, but it tastes like a dream come true. (Yes, most of my dreams involve curry.)

I got over my aversion to mayonnaise during my first Whole30, thank goodness. Turns out, 1) mayo is a lot tastier when it's full of curry, and 2) these days I'll eat pretty much anything unless it is licorice or raw celery (you know... two super gross things, as I'm sure we can all agree).

Here's another thing about mayo: Homemade olive oil mayo is awesome (here's how to make it!), but it's not something I'm going to whip up every time I want just a little bit of it, so I'm so thankful that there are now some paleo-friendly mayo brands at the store. My go-to is Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo (it's available on Amazon, but they even sell it at Costco). That stuff is great in this recipe.

Anyway, enough about mayo. Let's talk about this 10-minute Curry Chicken Salad.

It's one of the oldest and most popular recipes on Worthy Pause. I make it for lunch about once a month, and though I provided you with measurements below, I basically have it memorized by now and just eyeball the whole thing until it tastes how I want it to taste. I won't be offended if you do the same.

Crazy-Good Curry Chicken Salad

paleo, gluten-free and whole30-approved | serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups cooked chicken breast, diced (~1 lb. or 2 large chicken breasts, pan-fried in olive oil with salt and pepper)
• 1/3 cup of mayo (for paleo, do homemade olive oil mayo or store-bought avocado oil mayo)
• 2-3 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp celery salt (remember, raw celery is gross—but use the real thing if you must)
• 1 tsp or more of lemon juice
• salt, black pepper and cayenne to taste
• 1/3 cup raisins (or dried berry mix)
• 1/3 cup roasted cashews
• sprinkle of fresh parsley
• optional: 2 heads of butter or Boston lettuce, for lettuce wraps

Instructions

1. Thoroughly blend the dressing (mayo, curry powder, onion powder, turmeric, celery salt, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne) together in a bowl. Adjust seasonings to your taste.
2. Add the chicken, dried berries/raisins and cashews and mix thoroughly. Top with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
3. Make lettuce wraps or eat on top of a green salad (or do whatever you want with it—it's your show). 

Tips

• This makes a great make-ahead lunch to take to work. 
• You could use rotisserie chicken if you don't want to bother cooking your own. 
• Add fresh grapes or diced apples instead of or in addition to raisins. If you don't add something a little sweet, you might as well not make this recipe because that balance is the best part!

How many times per week are you gonna be eating this? Be honest.

This recipe was originally published in January 2013 but updated with new photos in 2017.