This recipe for Curry Chicken Salad Cabbage Cups from The Whole Smiths is the perfect make-ahead lunch. It makes for manageable meal prep and you’ll look forward to eating it time and time again.
I need quick lunches. Well, I need quick everything but quick lunches are at the top of the list. I’ve become increasingly mindful of how I spend the hours of my day now that the kids are home for school and prepping food is something I’m not thrilled having to spend my time doing. In the spirit of a quick recipe, this will be a quick blog post!
Timely or healthy?
However. I’m not willing to comprise healthy eating in the meantime. Fortunately, with the right recipes, we don’t need to. This recipe is an example of that. It takes regular curry chicken salad to a whole new experience. A grown-up experience. With that said. my kids still love it as it has a slight sweetness to it.
I recommend making a batch of this curry chicken salad ahead of time and keeping it in the refrigerator for easy lunches throughout the week. Feel free to also add it to some slices of bread for a good ‘old fashioned sandwich instead. That’s how my kids prefer it.
Lunch without the food coma.
Ahh, the afternoon, post-lunch food coma. We all experience it at some time or another. But we can avoid it. Traditionally the dreaded food coma is caused by overindulging as overeating tends to reduce our circulation and blood flows to our digestive tract to help breakdown the food but also from a high carb load.
I love carbs and don’t avoid them in my diet. However, I am mindful of not overindulging in them and paying attention to the types of carbs I have, particularly at lunchtime when our bodies are ripe for a food coma. Carbs that have a high glycemic index tend to be the most problematic.
Fortunately, this curry chicken salad recipe is higher on the protein and fat scale so you’ll be able to avoid that. Unless you plop it on some bread of course. If you’re looking to avoid food coma, stick with the recipe for these Curry Chicken Salad Cabbage Cups as-is and keep the cabbage. You can also use lettuce to wrap it or add it on top some baby spinach.
Check your chickens.
Using rotisserie chickens for meals like these curry chicken salad cups are a lifesaver but as always, make sure to check your ingredients. I often find some unsavory things in them. Read that label and if you have a hard time finding one with ingredients that suit you feel free to cook up your own chicken to add. Something I’ve found really helpful this summer is to marinate a batch of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and throwing them on the grill to have on hand throughout the week. I use it on things like salads, just to heat up as-is or in dishes like this. Having quick and easy proteins on hand is always important.
As far as the other ingredients, they are pretty straight forward and self-explanatory.
Enjoy meal prepping this and even more, enjoy the time you save by doing so!
Tips:
- Feel free to use other types of dried fruit you have on hand, cranberries, raisins, etc.
- The smaller you chop your chicken pieces, the better the texture of this chicken salad with be.
- Curry paste will also work in this recipe if that is all you have on hand. the amounts will be different so add it according to taste.
How long will this keep in the refrigerator?
It will stay good for about 4 to 5 days.
Any way to make this without chicken?
Well it is a chicken salad but I have a solution for you! Chickpeas! Feel free to use a can of chickpeas in place of the chicken to create a vegetarian option. I recommend smashing about a ¼ cup of the chickpeas to add a bit of texture and something for the mayo to “grab” on to.
Is this recipe ok for my Whole30?
As the recipe is written, it is not. However, it’s a quick fix. Simply omit the honey and you are good to go.
Curry Chicken Salad Cabbage Cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons curry powder ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey omit for Whole30
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 rotisserie chicken shredded about 3 cups
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- ½ cup salted cashew pieces
- ½ cup dried cherries or raisins, currants, dried blueberries
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 3 green onions light green and white parts sliced thinly
- 1 head of cabbage leaves pulled off
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, curry powder, vinegar, honey, salt, and black pepper.
- Add the chicken, celery, cashew, cherries, cilantro and green onions to the bowl and store to combine and coat the ingredients evenly.
- Serve a scoop of the chicken salad in a cabbage leaf and roll into a wrap.
Notes
- Feel free to use other types of dried fruit you have on hand, cranberries, raisins, etc.
- The smaller you chop your chicken pieces, the better the texture of this chicken salad with be.
- Curry paste will also work in this recipe if that is all you have on hand. the amounts will be different so add it according to taste.
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