Today I am going to tell you something so embarrassing. Like, I can’t even believe I’m going to tell you, but it’s just so embarrassingly funny that it would be wrong to not give you the opportunity to laugh at me.
Okay, first let me tell you that on Sunday morning I woke up and stretched in bed. All of the sudden my neck snapped, and the pain was immediate. I have barely been able to move my head since. I even called in sick to one of my jobs on Monday and I never call in sick. Anyway, I’ve been glued to the couch after making my way through every episode of How I Met Your Mother that Netflix has to offer, I found myself needing something to watch to ease the pain.
This is where things get ugly. You see, when I’m sick, I love mindless TV. I love that it keeps going and going. I love that I only have to tune in every now and then to understand what’s going on. And I love that I don’t have to use my brain. So this morning when I was deciding what was next while I waited for my stupid neck to heal (I’ve been blogging from the couch laying on my back with my laptop on me knees when I don’t absolutely have to be at work), I may have chosen the most embarrassing TV show ever.
Like, ever. So when Steve came home this afternoon from Landis (he just hangs out at the bike shop for no reason….), I quickly tried to turn off the TV so he wouldn’t see just how low I’d stooped. Then I tried to distract him by pretending to be interested in his trip to the bike shop, but it was no use.
Steve: Are you watching Dawson’s Creek???
Me: I don’t wanna talk about it….
Steve: Babe, I know you’ve been having a hard time (as he struggles to speek through his eruptive laughter)…. Well It would be worse if you were watching it on Hulu or something.
Me: I DON’T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT!!!
Steve: Really?? REALLY?????
(He then gets out his laptop and attempts to post on facebook about me. I plead with him not to embarrass me on the internet–clearly, I’m fully capable of doing that myself…)
Me: (finally) I thought I should start at the beginning.
And that my friends is how ridiculously embarrassing I am. That pretty much sums up my life.
But you know what? Even when I can’t move, I can still make this ridiculously easy chicken salad. It was the first thing I made in days, and I was so thrilled to actually do something productive. I MADE FOOD!! For, like, the entire week! I don’t suck at life!!
One of my best healthy habits (when I actually do it) is making a bulk healthy meal on Sundays that I use for lunch for the entire week. The thing is–you actually have to make it, and you have to REALLY like it if you’re going to eat it all week long (I usually take myself out to Chipotle one of the days, because, I mean, COME ON!). This is what we call lazy woman’s “food prep”.
This chicken salad is so simple with only a handful of ingredients, and it comes together in minutes giving you an entire week’s worth of lunch in less time than it takes me to make breakfast in the morning. And, umm, I would TOTALLY eat this every day for the next 10 weeks. It is bold and flavorful with the curry seasoning, and has a spicy kick with sweet grapes and crunchy almonds and celery–it is perfection. You can eat it on lettuce, with a fork, on rice cakes, in a sandwich, in a Dr. Seuss book… It doesn’t matter how you eat it because, trust me, you will love it!
Healthy, bold, flavorful and protein-packed curried chicken salad in minutes with no mayo.
Ingredients
- 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp curry seasoning
- pinch garlic salt
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 10-12 ounces cooked chicken, shredded (I use the meat from a whole rotisserie)
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup grapes, halved
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
Instructions
- To make the dressing, whisk together Greek yogurt, mustard and seasonings in a large bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients and toss until combined. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
E says
I love curry! I don’t do much dairy though, so I’d probably make my own mayo and follow everything else above! I love me some tasty chicken and tuna salads and sometimes they can certainly get boring, so thanks for sparking a new idea!
MIZ says
ahhh theres is nothing I like less than mayon.
IM IN
Coco says
Yum! This looks great. I’ve pinned it for later. 😉
Kierston @candyfit says
I love how GY is so versatile!
Love curry, great recipe!
Elle says
That looks like one I make from a recipe on the Kirkland chicken breast can… love it. Curry is so nice with chicken and fruit.
Vanessa@cashcowcouple.com says
yum yum yum yum yum! I love curry chicken salad, and without mayo will make my husband happy:) 10 minutes? Awesome.
sally @ sallys baking addiction says
Aaaaand this will be lunch this week. I freaking LOVE curry. I’m not a fan of chicken salad b/c I hate mayo! But this… I obvs can get on board with! Love greek yog.
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says
No shame in Dawson’s Creek!!! 🙂
Love this salad. I had favorite a lunchspot in college that served curried chicken salad in homemade pita pockets. This looks like a good start to recreating that deliciousness!
Jamie @ couchtoironwoman says
I hope your neck is feeling better!!! Ugh!
I love this, it looks so good! A restaurant around here has a curry chicken salad and it is tasty!
Katy @ KatysKitchen says
I totally know what you mean about doing the make ahead thing, and having to make sure that you will want to eat it for the whole week. Sigh! We foodies just love food too much to have the same thing every day! I love that this has no mayo, mayo is so gross and plain yogurt adds such a nice tartness to the curry flavour. P.S. Doesn’t it just drive you NUTS that you don’t know how he met the mother?!?!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
Hope your neeck is feeling better. I gotta have mindless TV too when I’m not feeling well.
I could totally eat that chicken salad all week. Looks fabulous!
Neenah says
How ironic is it that I find this recipe after I pulled my neck/shoulder from over-stretching, happen to be craving chicken salad,LOVE curry and hate mayo? No Dawson’s Creek for me, though! Can’t wait to try this out. 🙂
Deb Anderson says
Dairy allergy here – tried this recipe with plain soy yogurt (and chopped apple since I had no grapes) and it was delicious – even the kids liked it. Thanks!
Char says
Just made this and followed recipe exactly for my boyfriend who LOVES curry. I have to say we were a bit disappointed. The bitter flavor of the greek yogurt and curry powder mixed together created a funny taste. Not a fan of mayo either, but I wish there was something in between that and greek yogurt in the apsects of taste and texture!
Ari says
What brands of yogurt/curry powder were you using? I don’t find my Greek yogurt to be at all bitter, so it could be a brand thing, or it’s totally possible that Greek yogurt just isn’t your thing. I love it, and use it on everything, and really didn’t have much trouble transitioning from sour cream and mayo, but everyone’s different. If you’re looking for an other healthy mayo substitute, you can try some mashed avocado as well!
Elizabeth B says
Hi! I just found your site for the first time and I’m looking forward to exploring it. I’m avoiding dairy as well as processed sugar and wheat right now, so I used your recipe as a place to start. I just used organic dijon mustard (made with apple cider vinegar and without sugar) as a base and mixed it with curry powder, a little olive oil, and honey. Thanks for the inspiration!
(BTW, the green script typeface in the text fields looks really pretty, but I’m finding it hard to read what I type! What kind of feedback have you had about it? Do most folks seem to like it? Thanks. 🙂 )
Ari says
Awesome!! That sounds great! Most people tell me they love the green writing if they mention it. 🙂
Sherry Fletcher says
Thanks, Girl!
I was “slap” out of mayo AND greek yogurt. SO, found the fat-free sour cream and it worked really well. Will pin recipe on Pinterest!
Carol Jensen-Olson says
I just got done eating sister in laws curry chicken salad without mayo. So good but know she would never share recipe. Found yours online and seems like hers except she uses raisins instead of grapes. I am anxious to try and make. Thank you, and loved your story.