About This Recipe
My husband loves curry. He requests a recipe for Crockpot Curried Chicken every year on his birthday in January. And one of his favorite recipes is this one, for Curried Chicken and Pineapple Salad.
The original recipe did not add pineapple. But I wanted to see if I could jazz up the salad a bit, and add more ingredients. The salad seemed perfect as-is, but I am always fiddling with recipes.
I had to think and think about this, because I wanted to add ingredients that would really make the salad brighter. I hit upon crushed pineapple and cashews. The pineapple adds sweetness and a bit of tartness, and the cashews add wonderful crunch. And the sweetness really complements the spiciness and depth of flavor of the curry powder and the chutney.
Enjoy this great salad And make it often this summer.
Tips for the best Curried Chicken and Pineapple Salad:
- Patak’s Sweet Mango Chutney is the brand I use. We both really love the flavor and the balance of spicy and sweet.
- Make sure the pasta is cooked al dente. There’s nothing worse than overcooked pasta, especially in a pasta salad. Taste the pasta. It should be tender but still with a bite in the center. If you bite a piece in half and look at it, there should be a very pale line in the center.
- Try to choose small red grapes for this recipe; they are sweeter with better texture than the behemoth red grapes.
Why this recipe works:
- Chicken is naturally complemented by sweet and tart orange and spicy curry powder. These ingredients wake up the chicken.
- The sweet and tart red grapes are another great addition that complements the salad dressing.
- You. can use more or less curry powder according to your tastes.
- The pasta will absorb some of the dressing as it cools. This prevents the pasta from becoming too soft and adds even more flavor.
Steps
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1
Done
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo pasta and cook until just al dente according to package directions. This takes 8 to 12 minutes. |
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2
Done
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While the pasta cooks, in a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, chutney, curry powder, turmeric, and pineapple juice and mix well. |
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3
Done
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When the pasta is al dente, drain it and add immediately to the dressing in the bowl; stir gently to coat. |
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4
Done
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Stir in the chicken, grapes, pineapple, cashews, and celery and mix gently. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours before serving. |
