Perfect for spring and summer, potlucks and picnics, this Brazilian-inspired curry chicken salad with raisins, sweet corn and creamy dressing is super simple to make, especially with the help of your Instant Pot pressure cooker. You can also use a stovetop or oven to make the chicken. We hope you like this recipe! Make sure to rate it and leave your feedback or questions in the comments.
This delicious and healthy recipe is inspired by a Brazilian chicken salad, also known as Salpicão de Frango. It’s kind of a fusion dish, really. We take popular American classic, add some Brazilian additions of grated carrot, raisins and corn, perfectly cooked, lightly spiced chicken breasts (Instant Pot is great for this!) and an Asian twist of curry mayo dressing. Everything is mixed and served over shredded lettuce or salad leaves.
The Brazilian chicken salad version is usually topped with shoestring fry chips – yow know this tiny crispy potato sticks – that add wonderful texture and crunch to the dish. You can get those on Amazon, or use regular potato crisps or fried shallots, which is what we used as it pairs nicely with our Asian curry dressing twist.
This Instant Pot chicken salad is a perfect dish for potlucks and picnics, and a great spring and summer make-ahead recipe. You can also make the chicken in a frying pan or in the oven, but if it’s too hot and you want to a fuss-free method that results in tender, juicy and soft chicken, definitely try our Instant Pot method.
HOW TO MAKE CURRY CHICKEN SALAD
Here is a quick video to show you how we make this delicious curry mayo chicken salad using the Instant Pot to cook the meat. You will find more step-by-step photos below and the full list of ingredients, instructions and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below.
Part 1. Season the chicken with spices and pressure cook for 5 minutes on HIGH with 10 minutes natural pressure release. Stovetop or oven-baked chicken methods: Instead of using the Instant Pot, you can also pan-fry the chicken breasts for 6-7 minutes each side or bake them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at 390 F/200 C. Once cooked, let it cool slightly and shred or cut into small pieces.
Part 2. While chicken is cooking, prepare the other ingredients and whisk together the curry mayonnaise dressing. Mix everything together and serve topped with fried shallots or shoestring potato chip sticks. Regular potato chips could also be crushed over.
MORE SUMMER RECIPES WITH INSTANT POT
- Summer Pasta Puttanesca With No-Cook Sauce
- Mediterranean Egg Bites With Herbs & Feta
- Tangy Potato Salad (Plant-Based)
- Corn On The Cob With Cajun Butter
- Keto & Low-Carb Lemon Cheesecake
Creamy Curry Chicken Salad (Brazilian-Inspired, Instant Pot Recipe)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Brazilian Fusion
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Instant Pot friendly chicken salad is inspired by a Brazilian Salpicão de Frango and has an Asian twist with curry mayo dressing. It’s great for spring, summer potlucks and picnics and you can make a lot of the elements in this dish ahead of time. Chicken can be cooked in a frying pan or oven as well.
Ingredients
3 chicken breasts
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1.5 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup water (that goes in the pot)
For the salad
2 sticks celery, sliced thinly
1 medium carrot, grated
2 scallions/spring onions, diced
1/3 cup raisins or sultanas
1/2 cup sweet corn
Curry Mayo Dressing
1/3 cup regular or light mayonnaise
1/4 cup Greek yoghurt or sour cream
1 garlic clove, minced or grated
1.5 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2–3 cups roughly cut lettuce of choice
Garnishes: fried shallots and fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro, or crispy shoestring fry potato sticks.
Instructions
- Cook the chicken. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder and curry powder. Add a cup of water to the inner pot of the Instant Pot and place the trivet inside. Place chicken breasts on top of the trivet. Close the lid, lock and make sure the top valve is pointing to Sealing. Press Manual/Pressure Cook (depending on model) and set to 5 minutes at HIGH pressure. The Instant Pot will take about 5-7 minutes to come to pressure and the timer will begin. Once done, allow 10 minutes for natural pressure release (NPR) and then point the top valve to Venting to let off the remaining pressure/steam. Remove the chicken to a cutting board to cool off slightly.
- Prepare the salad ingredients. Thinly slice the celery, grate the carrot and dice the scallions. Get the corn and raisins ready.
- Make the dressing. Combine all the ingredients and whisk until smooth. You can make the dressing ahead of time.
- Shred the chicken. Once cooled off slightly, use a knife and fork to pull the meat apart into shreds. You can also cut it into strips or cubes.
- Assemble. Add chicken to the salad and mix with the dressing until well coated. Serve over roughly cut lettuce or mixed salad leaves and top with fried shallots or crispy shoestring fries.
Notes
Stovetop or oven-baked chicken methods: Instead of using the Instant Pot, you can also pan-fry the chicken breasts for 6-7 minutes each side or bake them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at 390 F/200 C.
Weight Watchers smart points: 13 (or 11 with light mayo)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup with lettuce and 1 tbsp fried shallots or crushed potato crisps
- Calories: 507
- Sugar: 11.8 g
- Sodium: 1159.2 mg
- Fat: 23.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 24.2 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 50.3 g
- Cholesterol: 158.9 mg
Keywords: Brazilian, Summer, Chicken Breast, Salads
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