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This post was previously published on Robust Recipes. It has been updated for a better experience.
It’s almost September and we are hanging on to summer with one last summer inspired recipe. Curried chicken salad in cantaloupe boats!
And guys, if you’re going to make one more summer meal before getting all cozy with the soups and the pumpkin spice lattes, this one should be it!
Curried chicken salad in cantaloupe boats is perfect for a hot summer day (reminder: summer doesn’t officially end until September 23rd! Got it?!), it’s served cold or room temperature, requires no cooking at all, comes together in 15 minutes, and makes use of a delicious summer fruit!
You’re probably wondering how there is no cooking involved with a chicken salad? Ummm I used a rotisserie chicken, again!
Guys, I can’t stop with the rotisserie chicken, especially in the summer. It means no heat on in my kitchen, which means not having to turn on our window a/c unit in our kitchen….which means less money for the electric bill. And probably my favorite part, less dishes to wash!
And we get to eat this curried chicken salad in cantaloupe boats in 15 minutes flat! Everyone is happy!
These curried chicken salad in cantaloupe boats holds a special place in my heart. It was probably one of the first recipes I made for myself in college. I mean sure, I cooked in college but it was honestly a lot of packaged convenience foods – I know, way different then how I eat now. BUT I was on the college meal plan so I wasn’t cooking all of my meals…which might not have been a whole lot healthier.
Anyways, I remember calling my mom my Junior year and telling her that I really needed a home cooked meal, but it needed to be easy. Any suggestions?
She got back to me with this recipe for curried chicken salad served in cantaloupe boats. Sounded super delish, but kind of fancy and intimidating. Remember, I was working with a tiny kitchen that I shared with 3 other roommates that wasn’t well stocked with cooking equipment.
My mom was confident that I could make this. “It’s from Aunt Deanna’s cookbook. Aunt Mary recommended it to her.” I knew everything that Aunt Deanna and Aunt Mary made were always good.
Let me explain. The recipe development bug is rooted deep in my family.
My Aunt Mary introduced this curried chicken salad cantaloupe to her sister-in-law (who I am used to also calling Aunt, because my cousins do), who is an author of several cook books. I am proud to say that I have all of them!
Anyways, chicken curried salad in cantaloupe boats recipe was published in Aunt Deanna’s cookbook called “House Specialties Encore” in 1997. It’s a fun play on words because Deanna’s last name is House.
I took my mom’s advice in college and gave her recipe a try. And OMG was I hooked!
It became my new favorite meal to make whenever I got tired of eating college cafeteria food.
And yes, I cooked the chicken in that tiny college apartment, and I still have a tiny kitchen – some things don’t change. Now, though I cook a lot more than I did in college so anywhere that I can make a healthy, real food short cut to save on washing dishes, I am in! Thanks rotisserie chicken!
I originally shared this recipe within the first few months of starting my blog. The pictures didn’t do justice and the recipe was getting no traffic. Time for an update, because this recipe deserves to be seen and loved and made by all of you!
I did make a few more changes from the original recipe. I swapped half of the mayonnaise for Greek yogurt for a lighter option. I added some slivered almonds for extra crunch. I also cut the recipe in half. The original recipe served a lot of people, although I like leftovers it was too much for the two of us.
BUT you can easily double the recipe by clicking the little 2X icon in the recipe card down below and it will automatically calculate the amount of ingredients needed. Yes, this in a new feature, how cool?!
Enough story time, let’s talk about how amazing this chicken curried salad in cantaloupe boats are!
You’ve got creamy, saucy chicken that’s got the slightest hint of spice and sweetness from the mango chutney. That’s what makes this chicken salad so special, the mango chutney – don’t skip it! The curry powder adds a level of savoriness that balances everything out, plus all the crunch from the veggies and the slivered almonds adds a lovely texture. The BEST part is eating a spoonful of that lovely chicken salad with a spoonful of the juicy, sweet cantaloupe. It’s an insanely good combo!
This is not your average chicken salad, my friends. This is chicken salad taken to the max!
It’s one of Paul’s favorite recipes because he is obsessed with cantaloupe! I made it for him when we were dating and he still remembers. Which is saying a lot, because he has a bad food memory.
I hope you enjoy this chicken curried salad in cantaloupe boats as much as we do. It would certainly be the star at any kind of summertime dinner party. However, it only takes you 15 minutes to make so it would be the perfect weeknight meal.
AND if you want to make this chicken salad for meal prep, packed lunches, or even for a picnic you totally can. Simply cube your cantaloupe, store the chicken salad and the cantaloupe chunks in separate containers and then bring them together when you are ready to eat. And they will live happily ever after!
And so will you, when you eat this curried chicken salad.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a star rating and a comment below? I love hearing from you and it helps me to rank higher in google. Which means more people get to have this chicken salad in their lives! Thanks friends!
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Curried Chicken Salad in Cantaloupe Boats
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 5 to 6 1x
- Category: entree, meal prep, chicken, easy
- Method: chopping
- Cuisine: gluten free, chicken, dairy free
Description
Curried chicken salad in cantaloupe boats is the perfect summer meal for to serve at a party with it’s impressive display. Or cut up the cantaloupe into cubes and store separate from the chicken salad for meal prep.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked, cooled chicken, chopped (I used rotisserie chicken. or use leftover instant pot whole chicken)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt
- 6 to 8 ounces jarred mango chutney (I used just over half of a 12 ounce jar)
- 1 to 3 teaspoons teaspoons curry powder (depends how strong of a curry taste you like)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 ribs of celery, chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
For serving
- 2 ripe cantaloupes
Instructions
- Mix: Add everything (except the cantaloupes) to a large mixing bowl. Gently stir until everything is well combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. This can be made up to 1 day in advance.
- Serve: To serve cut your melons in half, scoop out the seeds and discard. Cut a small piece of the skin off the bottom of the cantaloupe, creating a flat surface for the melon so that it doesn’t roll around. Spoon the chicken salad into the cavity of the melon boats. Serve immediately. This is obviously a larger serving than most will eat at one sitting. You can also cut the melons into quarter size wedges and spoon the chicken salad over the wedge, however this might mean that some of the chicken salad falls off the melon wedge.
Notes
Leftovers: Store the melon and the chicken salad in separate containers. Assemble again just before serving. Leftovers will keep for up to 3 or 4 days.
Meal prep/picnic: I have made this chicken salad before for a picnic. To do so I simply cut up the cantaloupe into cubes, stored it separately from the chicken and when it came time to eat I served the chicken salad along with the melon cubes. This would also work great for packed lunches or any kind of meal prep – I actually find it easier to eat that way.
Dairy free: To keep this recipe diary free you can simply omit the Greek yogurt and replace it with more mayonnaise.
This looks gorgeous. You ought to send your website link to Midwest Living Magazine (Meredith Corporation or Publishing – home of Better Homes and Gardens) in Des Moines. They publish recipes every month. Perhaps they may want to buy some or write an article about new food bloggers!