Forego the mayo with this chicken salad that uses a zingy cashew curry sauce in its place. Throw in some grapes, celery and toasted pecans and you have a wonderful lunchtime salad that's healthy and dairy free.

I'm not a fan of mayo. I have sensitivities to eggs, but also find that there's a lot that can go horribly wrong with mayonnaise. I'm also not into the fake-a-naise substitutes out there. I much prefer real food ingredients. 

I've gotten around mayo in my life with mustard-vinegar emulsions like the one I used in my crab salad and a lime - Sriracha combo in my shrimp salad. Seafood can take a lighter dressing, but when it comes to chicken salad, more weight is required. Then I looked at my broccoli salad's cashew curry dressing, another much-better-than-mayo option, and knew it would be a great addition to a healthy chicken salad recipe.

This chicken salad is full of protein with the poultry, cashew dressing and sprinkling of pecans. Grapes and celery bring crunch and even more health benefits.

Eat it straight up or wrap it in a lettuce leaf for a gluten free chicken salad sandwich. You could even serve it as an appetizer on an apple slice. No matter which way you enjoy, you won't miss the mayo!

Curry Chicken Salad Without Mayonnaise

Serves 4 - 6 lunch size portions

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds cooked chicken (I prefer thighs), cut into strips or cubes
• 1 cup cashew curry sauce (recipe here & adjust amount accordingly)
• 1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
• 1/4 red grapes, quartered (optional)
• 1/4 cup celery, minced to similar sizes as the above

Instructions

1. Combine all of the above. Easy, right? I like to allow the flavors to sit for a little while in the fridge before serving.
2. Serve on top of lettuce or apple slices for a gluten free, dairy free lunch.

Looking for more healthy salads? Try one of these.