Tango Apricot and Curry Chicken Salad
It’s hard to believe that Silicon Valley, a hotbed of technology, was once a thriving, agricultural oasis, known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight. In her book, For the Love of Apricots, Recipes & Memories of the Santa Clara Valley, author Lisa Prince Newman documents how 125 miles of farms in the Santa Clara Valley dominated the economy for a century, with apricots being the “Prince of the Orchards.”* Having grown up in the heart of Silicon Valley, apricots for me, represent the advent of summer and since they have a short season, I hasten to make the most of this crop. So, here I pair fresh Blenheim apricots with curried chicken salad since the flavors meld nicely with both the apricots, mango, chutney, and lime juice infusing sweet yet tangy notes while the celery and slivered almonds lend a nice textural crunch. Serve it with pitas for a nice picnic, a neighborhood potluck, or just a regular family dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cups fresh but firm apricots, Blenheim variety if available
- 1 cup fresh but firm mango
- 2 large celery stalks or 1 1/3 cups
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- Dressing:
- 3 T. mayonnaise, Best Foods Real Mayo preferrable
- 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup Major Grey’s Chutney
- 1 T. apple cider vinegar
- ¼ t. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ T. lime juice
- 1 t. curry
- 1 T. garlic
- ½ cup + 1 T. green onion
- 2 T. chives
- 1 t. salt, add a little at a time
- Slivered almonds for garnish
- Pita bread to serve
Directions
- Step 1 Start by dry brining or patting your chicken breasts with ½ t. of kosher salt per pound. Then, let them sit in the refrigerator for ½ to 1 hour. Next, bring 2 quarts of water in a medium saucepan to a boil and add the chicken breasts whole. Boil the chicken for 15 minutes or until the juices run clear, when you cut into it, and the meat isn’t red or pink. The internal temperature should be 165° F. Drain the cooking liquid from the chicken and set aside to cool.
- Step 2 Next, cut the mango into cubes and add to a large mixing bowl. Then, wash your apricots and dice them, tossing them into the mixing bowl with the mango. After this, wash and dice the celery stalks, combining them in the bowl with the apricots, mango, and tossing in the raisins, too. Lastly, chop the chicken, when cooled, in whatever bite-sized piece you prefer. Add to the same mixing bowl with the mango, apricots, celery, and raisins.
- Step 3 Finally, make the dressing. Measure out the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, chutney, oil, vinegar, lime juice, and curry in a small mixing bowl. Chop the onions and chives and mince the garlic, adding them to the same mixing bowl as the one above. Then, pour as much of the dressing as you’d like over the salad, erring on the side of less rather than more. Also, you may want to reserve a little dressing in case the salad dries out in the fridge. Lastly, season with salt, adding a little at a time until it meets your satisfaction. Serve with sliced almonds and pita bread if you desire. Enjoy!
- Step 4 NOTE: It’s important to use firm apricots and mangos or the salad will become soupy. Avoid picking out fruit that is too soft to the touch.
This showstopper of a salad is a gorgeous dish to serve with alternating warm and cool tones of orange-speckled apricots and green-dappled celery and chives. Given a chance, it will bring out the artist in each of us! I find this salad as tasty as beautiful to eat.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: servings per recipe: 5, calories: 596, total fat: 21.6 g., saturated fat: 5.3 g., cholesterol: 158 mg., sodium: 367 mg., total carbohydrate: 38.5 g., dietary fiber: 2.9 g., total sugars: 26.6 g., protein: 61.8 g., calcium: 34 mg., iron: 2 mg., potassium: 376 mg., vitamin D: 0 mcg,
SOURCES:
*Newman, Lisa Prince. for the Love of Apricots: Recipes & Memories of the Santa Clara Valley. San Rafael, Prince of the Orchards Publications, 2018-2020.