Make Curried Chicken Salad for a Side Dish

I'm usually not a big fan of mayo, preferring to make my coleslaw and tuna salad with olive oil and lemon juice. But this curried chicken salad is an exception. The creamy mayonnaise and fragrant curry make a delightful dressing that permeates the chicken, transforming a dry, bland breast into something moist and flavorful.

With sweet crisp grapes, crunchy bits of a celery and nutty chunks of cashew, there's plenty of taste and texture variation which keeps the salad from becoming cloying or monotonous. Between two slices of crusty bread smeared with a bit of mango chutney, this salad makes for one of my favorite sandwiches, but it's equally good over a bed of greens.

Because you can prepare it in advance(and to get the best flavor you should), it's perfect for parties, potlucks and picnics. While any cooked chicken breast will work, such as leftover roast chicken, or poached chicken; I prefer using sous vide chicken breasts because they are incredibly moist and tender. Also if your grapes aren't very sweet, try tossing them in a little olive oil and roasting them in a 425 degree F oven for 30-40 minutes. It caramelizes the sugar in the grapes bringing out their sweetness and flavor.