Asian Curried Chicken Salad with Pasta

I was at Costco today and my kids wanted a Rotisserie Chicken.  They love to eat the drumsticks and after they enjoyed them for lunch I had to figure out what to do with with the rest of the chicken.  A curried chicken salad came to mind and then that morphed into a pasta salad for dinner.  This flavorful chicken salad is full of all kinds of Asian flavors and can be eaten as sandwich, salad or pasta meal.

To make the Curried Chicken Salad you will need:
2-3 cups of cooked shredded chicken (see note)
1 cup of diced onion
1 cup of diced green bell pepper
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of shredded carrots
1 Tbs of curry powder (I recommend McCormick brand)
2-3 cloves of garlic grated
2 tsp of grated ginger
2 tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste)
1/4 tsp of ground turmeric
1 Tbs of soy sauce
1 small can of sliced water chestnuts (diced)


Note:  You can use rotisserie chicken like I did or you can poach some chicken if you prefer.  You can also used any grilled, baked or leftover chicken you have that can be shredded.

Dressing: 
1/2 cup of mayo
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt (or thick strained yogurt)
1 Tbs of Dijon Mustard
1 tsp of sugar (or splenda)
1 Tbs of rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 heaping Tbs of mango chutney
Mix all ingredients and all to chill in the fridge. 


Directions:

In a saute pan, heat one Tbs of olive oil on medium-high heat.  Saute your carrots, onions, peppers and celery until almost tender. Then add your grated ginger and garlic and saute for another minute.

Next add your curry powder, chili flakes and turmeric.  Saute for another minute.  Then add your soy sauce.

Finally add your shredded chicken and diced water chestnuts into the pan and stir well.  Taste for seasoning and turn off the stove.  Allow the chicken mixture to cool down before tossing with the dressing.

Yields about 4-5 cups of chicken salad.  Garnish with lettuce and tomatoes.  Serve in a sandwich, lettuce wraps, on top of a salad or with pasta.  Enjoy.

 Note: if you choose to eat with pasta, toss with 1lb of cooked pasta (Any shape).  Enjoy.