Curried Chicken Salad with Cucumbers

I love summer.   Specifically, I love July.   July is the month that I can take my vacation and some much needed time off.

I won’t get on a soap box or anything today, but July is the month that I get to totally be out of the office.   (I do still work on school stuff, but from home.   I also check my work email a LOT more sporadically.)

July is for spending time at the lake, spending time with family and friends, and maybe even getting away on a vacay if we’re lucky.  It is also the month that I pretend I am one of those ladies who lunch.  🙂

I set lunch dates with The Hubs, with peers from other school districts (who are also enjoying the limited time off), and friends and family who often get ignored when things get busy again in the fall.   It is so nice to dine  at a popular lunch spot on the patio and not in the cafeteria with teenagers.

Just sayin’.

Recently, my best friend and I had a great lunch at Cosmo in Tulsa where I had a delicious curried chicken salad. It was so good I wanted to have it again and again so I rushed home and try to replicate it.   I think I got pretty close.  What surprised me the most is The Hubs loved this salad too.

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Curried Chicken Salad with Cucumbers
based on Curried Chicken Salad by Ina Garten

3 large whole chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c. mayonnaise
3/4 c.  sour cream
1/3 c. dry white wine
3 T.  curry powder
1 t. fine sea salt
1 c. diced cucumbers
1/4 c. diced shallots

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a foil-lined sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and dice or shred the chicken (to your liking).

For the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, wine, curry powder, and 1 t. salt in a blender.  Process until smooth.

Combine the chicken with enough dressing to moisten well. Add the cucumbers and onions and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve in a sandwich form or on top of arugula or other spicy greens with a drizzle of balsamic.

I love that Ina’s original recipe directed to roast the chicken.  This is how I will prepare chicken for salad from now on.   I have a plethora of cucumbers, but you could obviously sub in celery, sweet peppers (which I almost did as well), or other veggies.

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As July comes to a close, I need to plan some more lunch dates……….  (Anybody in?)

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