Curry Up Already!

Crostini With Curried Chicken and Avocado Salad

The Anglophile in me is absolutely mad for the tradition of "taking tea." A hot cup of tea, a splash of milk, and a little snack can brighten even the dullest afternoon! This weekend I had a little gathering to welcome back Jordyn after her quarter abroad in London. Scones, clotted cream, and cucumber sandwiches were definitely on the menu, but I wanted to deviate a little bit from a completely traditional afternoon tea (ie. champagne). I came up with this delightfully easy and tasty chicken salad recipe as a fun twist on the classic finger sandwich. Try the chicken salad on crostini for your next party or just slathered between two slices of bread for lunch! 

Ingredients

- 1 baguette, sliced crosswise into 1/4" thick slices

- 2 large cloves of garlic, grated fine

- 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

- salt and pepper

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 4 green onions, minced

- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro, divided

- 1/2 mayonnaise

- 1 Tbsp. Madras curry powder

- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander

- 1 large, ripe avocado, diced into bite-sized pieces

- juice from 1 lemon

To make the crostini, preheat the oven to 350˚F. In a small dish whisk together grated garlic and 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, season with a little salt. Line a heavy baking sheet with foil and arrange baguette slices on foil in a single layer. Brush the top of each slice with the garlic oil mixture. Toast in oven for about 20-25 minutes until the slices are golden brown. Set aside to cool completely. Meanwhile, season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Brush with remaining two Tbsp. of olive oil. After the toasted crostini comes out of the oven, put chicken breasts in (keep the oven at 350˚F). Cook for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Allow chicken to cool completely before making chicken salad.

After the chicken has cooled, dice into bite-sized pieces and place in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, mayonnaise, curry powder, ground coriander, green onions, and 1 Tbsp. cilantro. Mix ingredients to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. If salad is dry, add a little more mayonnaise. Carefully mix in sliced avocado (be gentle so that it doesn't get squashed into guacamole). Top each slice of crostini with about 2 Tbsp. of chicken salad mix. Garnish the tops of each chicken salad crostini with a tiny pinch of the remaining cilantro. Serve! Eat! You'll love it!