Easy Harvest Almond Chicken Salad

First week of actual fall. The temperature dropped to eighty-two on Wednesday, which in Houston passes for crisp autumn air. I opened the windows for the first time since April and the house exhaled. The smoker looks different in fall light — warmer, more inviting, like it was built for this season. Which it was. Smoking season runs October through March. Summer is survival smoking. Fall is the real thing.

Lily called with more restaurant talk. She and James have been writing things down — concepts, menu ideas, a rough business model. She hasn't used the word "business plan" yet but she's circling it. She asked me what I thought was the most important thing about opening a restaurant. I said, "Surviving the first two years." She said, "That's depressing." I said, "It's realistic. The food is the easy part. The survival is the hard part." She was quiet. Then she said, "You sound like you've thought about this." I said, "I sell equipment to restaurants. I've watched a hundred of them open and half of them close. I know what kills them." She said, "What kills them?" I said, "Undercapitalization, bad location, and ego. In that order." She thanked me. I didn't tell her I was proud of her for asking. Proud of her for thinking. Proud of her for taking this seriously instead of diving in blind. I didn't tell her any of that. She doesn't need to hear it yet. She needs to hear the hard truths first.

Drove to Mai's Saturday. She was watching a Vietnamese variety show on YouTube and eating dried squid, which is one of her favorite snacks and which smells like a fisherman's revenge. I sat with her and ate squid and watched the show, which I understood about forty percent of because my Vietnamese is conversational at best. Mai translates the jokes for me. They're funnier in translation, which either means Mai is a good translator or Vietnamese comedy doesn't survive the original language. Possibly both.

Made a big pot of curry — cà ri gà, Vietnamese chicken curry — which is different from Thai or Indian curry in ways that matter. It's coconut-milk based, like Thai, but the spice profile is gentler: turmeric, curry powder, lemongrass, star anise. The chicken simmers until it's tender, the potatoes and carrots melt into the sauce, and you eat it with a crusty baguette for dipping. The baguette is the French influence — Vietnam was a French colony for a hundred years, and the bread stayed. Some inheritances from colonialism are useful. The bread is one. The coffee is another. The rest we can do without.

Brought the curry to Mai. She tasted it and added more lemongrass. She always adds more lemongrass. My curry is a co-authored document.

Mai added lemongrass. She always does. And honestly, that small act of co-authorship — her hand reaching into my pot without asking because she doesn’t need to ask — is the whole point of cooking for the people you love. When I got home that Saturday, still smelling faintly of dried squid, I wanted to put something together that had that same spirit: simple, satisfying, the kind of thing you can make a big batch of and let people build their own version of. This Easy Harvest Almond Chicken Salad is that recipe — hearty enough for the first real week of fall, easy enough that there’s still time to sit down and watch a YouTube variety show you only half understand.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or chopped
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red grapes, halved
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
Lettuce leaves or toasted bread, for serving

Instructions

Toast the almonds. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sliced almonds for 3—4 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and onion powder until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Combine the salad. Add the shredded chicken, celery, grapes, dried cranberries, and green onions to the bowl with the dressing. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
Fold in the almonds. Gently fold in the toasted almonds just before serving to preserve their crunch.
Chill and serve. Serve immediately over lettuce leaves or on toasted bread, or refrigerate for up to 2 days. The flavors deepen as it sits.

Nutrition (per serving)

Easy Harvest Almond Chicken Salad — The Curry That Started With Mai’s Lemongrass