Thai Curry Chicken Salad With a Creamy Dijon Dressing

The following post was originally featured on Eating Bird Food and written by Brittany Mullins, who is part of POPSUGAR Select Fitness.

Despite the cold weather and snow we've been having here, I've still been craving salads. Lunch or dinner, it doesn't matter - all I want is a huge salad that's flavorful, easy to throw together, and totally satisfying. To make the prep easy, I like to have a couple of quick-cooking protein options, healthy fats, and a variety of veggies on hand. Some of my favorite protein options include shrimp, edamame, tempeh, tofu, hard-boiled eggs, and chicken.

I've talked about it before, but my favorite chicken is the Whole Foods Health Starts Here® Thai curry chicken. It's curry flavored, obviously, but also has a bit of spice and salt to go along with it. It's really the only chicken I've loved since introducing meat back into my diet. I like it so much I've even made my own version of the Whole Foods seasoning blend so that I can make the chicken at home without having to buy the seasoned skewers from the meat department.

Last summer I made a salad using the Thai curry chicken and donut peaches. It's delicious, but donut peaches aren't in season right now so I decided to come up with another combo.

This version has fresh pineapple (to ease the spice of the chicken), red onion, cucumbers, bell pepper, and creamy Dijon dressing. It's fresh, bright, flavorful, and filling - basically, everything you want from a meal-sized salad.

When it's warm out, we like to grill the chicken, but during the winter months we just cook it in a skillet on the stove top. It cooks up quickly and still tastes just as good. Even if you don't try this exact salad combo, I highly recommend trying the Thai curry chicken - it's delish!

From Eating Bird Food

Thai Curry Chicken Salad With a Creamy Dijon Dressing

Ingredients

For the salad:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 to 4 ounces each)
Spring mix, romaine lettuce, or baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, sliced
2 cups pineapple, chopped
1 cup red onion, chopped
Gomasio, to taste (optional)

For the spice rub:
2 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
2 to 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley

For the dressing:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tablespoons good Dijon mustard
11/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine the curry powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and parsley in a small bowl to create the rub. Use as much of the rub as needed to cover each chicken breast. You may have a bit of the spice rub left over - just store any of the remaining non-contaminated spice mix in an airtight container for later use.
2. Heat one teaspoon of coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Placed seasoned chicken breasts into the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes on each side until juice runs clear. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes to cool. Once cool, slice the chicken for the salads.
3. While the chicken is cooking, place all ingredients for the dressing in a small jar or bowl. Whisk until combined and set aside.
4. Divide your greens, bell pepper, cucumber, pineapple, and red onion onto four plates. Top each with a portion of chicken. Drizzle a little creamy Dijon dressing over each salad and top with a sprinkle of gomasio, if using.

Information

Category

Main Dishes, Salads

Yield

4 large salads

Nutrition

Calories per serving

287

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