Curried Chicken Salad with Spiced Chickpeas and Raita

Brian came up with the idea of trying something fun we have never made before. Here is our attempt at Curried Chicken Salad with Spiced Chickpeas and Raita. The website described it as an easy mid-week dinner, to which I say, do you have any kids? But for a weekend activity it was pretty fun and manageable.



I also discovered a spice section of Smith's where you can buy whatever amount of the spice you are looking for instead of spending the big money on a whole bottle you may never use again. So I spent $0.06 on the teaspoon of turmeric I needed - awesome.




So the end result was delicious and we are planning on making it again when Abby comes cause she likes this kind of food, so be prepared!



Here is the recipe in case you want to try it...It is from epicurious.com



For curried chicken salad:
1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 cup)
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons cilantro
1 rotisserie chicken, meat coarsely shredded (3 to 4 cups)
1 cup red grapes, halved

For chickpeas:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (19-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry (2 cups)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

For raita and topping:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 seedless cucumber, peeled, cored, and chopped (2 cups)
2 tablespoon chopped mint
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Equipment: 4 (16-ounce) wide jars or containers with lids
Preparation

Make curried chicken salad:
Cook onion, garlic, and ginger in oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry, cumin, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in yogurt, cilantro, and chicken. Cool to room temperature.

Make chickpeas:
Heat oil in cleaned skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook chickpeas, stirring, 1 minute. Add cumin, turmeric, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring to coat, until skillet is dry, about 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Make raita:
Stir together yogurt, cucumber, mint, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Assemble jars:
Divide grapes among jars and layer curried chicken, raita, chickpeas, and almonds on top.

Cooks' notes:
•Curried chicken salad and spiced chickpeas can be made 1 day ahead and chilled separately. •Assembled jars can be chilled up to 6 hours. Serve at room temperature.