Leftover chicken goes Bollywood

Most non-vegetarians like a savory roasted chicken, right? And probably at least half of them like this chicken as leftovers, correct? Well, when it comes to mixing leftover chicken with curry, we venture into a smaller proportion of the culinary population. I totally understand - it's not for everyone. I began the great love affair with curry when living in the UK, and I see no signs of that waning. 

Nutty Fruity Curried Chicken Salad

Since our doggie has kidney disease, I've been feeding him a special diet which includes roasted chicken and homemade low-sodium chicken stock (as for the latter, Greg rolls his eyes and mutters something about the spoiled rotten dog). So, on any given day, chances are there will be a roasted chicken in the fridge. Here's a great little curried chicken salad that adds a bit of Bollywood magic to leftovers.

I didn't really measure when making this, so the amounts are rough approximations.

Nutty Fruity Curried Chicken Salad 

• About 8 oz. of roasted chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• About 15 red seedless grapes, quartered (or halved if small)
• One Granny Smith apple, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• Two stalks of celery, peeled with a veggie peeler (to remove the stringy bits), sliced in half lengthwise and then chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
• About 1/3 cup of sliced or blanched almonds, lightly toasted in the oven or in a dry fry pan over low heat (you'll know they are toasted when they become fragrant)
• About 1/4 to 1/3 cup of light mayo, plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream
• About 1 Tbsp. of your favorite curry powder 
• About 1/2 tsp. of turmeric
• About 1/8 tsp. of cayenne pepper
• A few grinds of the pepper mill
• A few pinches of kosher salt
• About 1 Tbsp. of parsley, chopped
• About 3 chives, snipped with kitchen scissors (optional)

Mix the first five ingredients in a bowl. Put in a few tablespoons of your 'binder' (mayo/yogurt/sour cream) and gently mix. Add more if needed (remember that the salt brings out moisture in the ingredients, so you don't want to overdo it). Add the spices and herbs, stick in the fridge for an hour and let the flavors sit. Remove from fridge and adjust any of the ingredients to taste. 

Enjoy in pitas, on top of a bed of lettuce, on top of Wasa crispbread - use your imagination!

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