Copycat Trader Joe’s White Chicken Deli Salad – an easy lunch recipe that’s healthier than traditional chicken salad.
Ohmygeeerd!
Holy braciole, this stuff is good!
Do you ever wish you could just eat other people’s food? I mean…I do. Can we talk about it?
Periodically, I go through spurts of time that I get a little womp womp over my cooking steez, and need to take breaks to replenish the ol’ creativity tank. Recipe Development Burnout doesn’t happen to me frequently, but I when it does, I look to other bloggers, cookbooks, and/or restaurants to fuel my inspiration. Enter: copycat recipes. Enter: Trader Joe’s. Enter: the best chicken salad you will ever eat.
Whenever I go to Trader Joe’s, I make a beeline for their Curried White Chicken Deli Salad. I’d be lying if I said I don’t scarf the whole container in one sitting each and every time. It just goes down that easy. The last time I mowed through my coveted salad, I inspected the carton for ingredients and it dawned on me that I should 200% make that stuff at home. And so I did. And so I have a new obsession.
Chicken, raisins, carrots, green onion, and cashews make up this salad. I used a combo of yogurt and mayo for the dressing to lighten it up a bit and keep things real fresco.
If you want to be a genius, you’ll quadruple the recipe because there’s just no way it will last the night. The next time I make this, I’m going to shred the chicken so that the salad is easier to stick on bread for a chicken salad sandwich. If you’re looking for a quick and easy lunch recipe that you can prepare ahead of time and take to work, you just found it!
This times infinity.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts poached for 3 to 8 minutes
- ¼ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 3 green onions sliced
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 cup grated carrot
Instructions
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Heat a large pot of water and bring it to a full boil. Add the raw chicken breasts and reduce heat slightly. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through. Place chicken on a cutting board, chop into cubes, and allow it to cool.
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Whisk together the yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, and curry powder until well-combined.
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Add the green onion, cashews, raisins, and grated carrot to a large mixing bowl, along with the cooled chopped chicken. Pour the curry dressing over everything and mix well until everything is coated.
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Eat in abundance!
Rob Wright
Wednesday 24th of March 2021
They take it on and off the shelves and it drives me crazy! I tried this recipe today and it was killer. Swapped in golden raisins and doubled all the ingredients because I really love the stuff. I also opted to season my chicken with SPG and roast in the oven instead of poach. Will be popping a pic for Insta today. @tabletalkagency
Rob at www.tabletalkagency.com
Julia
Saturday 27th of March 2021
Yaaaaas! I'm so thrilled to hear it, Rob! I absolutely love the TJ's curry chicken too. Thrilled you like the recipe as well! xoxo
Kate
Monday 24th of August 2020
Food of the Gods. Best thing I’ve ever tasted. Thank you!!!!
Julia
Monday 24th of August 2020
I'm so happy you like it, Kate!! It's hands down my favorite chicken salad recipe :D xoxo
Kathryn Caler
Sunday 25th of August 2019
I had not made poached chicken before, but now it will be a regular. I varied plain water with broth, peppercorns, herbs, and a splash of white wine. The recipe is easy and delicious...good for a weeks worth of lunches (I doubled recipe). Thank you!!
Julia
Tuesday 27th of August 2019
You're very welcome! I'm so glad you like it, Kathryn! xo
Nina Nattiv
Wednesday 25th of April 2018
This looks amazing! Any suggestions for a non-dairy alternative to yogurt? I don't mix meat and dairy. Thanks!
Julia
Wednesday 25th of April 2018
Hi Nina,
You could do store-bought or homemade aioli or mayonnaise, or use a non-dairy yogurt :D
Scott Paro
Monday 6th of July 2015
I attended a party in Victoria, BC the other night and everyone brought a dish. One of them was a curried chicken and kale salad. I could get enough of it! After a bit of a Google search I came across your site and copy cat recipe. Now I am going to be a "copy copy cat recipe". Thank you for sharing I can't wait to get at it tomorrow afternoon.