Easy Chicken Naan

Ready in less than 10 minutes, this chicken naan recipe makes a delicious and healthy lunch or weeknight dinner. Taking inspiration from the classic English salad coronation chicken and my favourite chicken mayo sandwich; leftover roast chicken is mixed in a creamy yogurt and mayonnaise dressing spiced with curry powder, then spooned onto warm naan bread and topped with baby spinach, cucumber and avocado.

Jump to:

• Why we love this recipe
• Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• How to heat naan bread
• FAQ
• My Recipe Tips
• Variations
• More simple, no cook recipes for you
• Chicken Naan
• How to heat naan bread

Why we love this recipe

• Easy recipe – The only cooking is heating the naan bread, everything else is a case of chopping and mixing.
• Quick – dinner is ready in less than 10 minutes!
• Chicken and naan makes delicious light summer weeknight dinner.
• Like my leftover chicken curry, this is a simple recipe for using leftover chicken.
• Loved by the whole family – my 2 year old included!

Ingredients Notes and Substitutions

• Chicken – I like to use leftover roast chicken or poached chicken breasts, but you can use shredded rotisserie chicken, or if you want to use fresh chicken rather than leftovers, grilled chicken would be a delicious alternative.
• Spinach – baby spinach. If you like peppery rocket or watercress that would be lovely, as would some finely chopped lettuce.
• Curry powder – I use mild curry powder. If not serving it to kids, you could use a hot curry powder – but start with less and add more to taste.
• Naan bread – I like to use plain or garlic and herb, the smaller ‘Mission’ brand of naan breads (not mini) They are 70g (2.5oz) each rather than 120g (4.2oz). You can always use the larger naan breads and use one naan, cut in half, or fold them over to make a chicken naan sandwich. Or use another type of flatbread.
• Yogurt – plain Greek yogurt or plain yogurt. The addition of yogurt not only makes the dressing lighter but also adds a touch of sharpness against the rich mayonnaise.
• Mayonnaise – full fat or half fat egg mayonnaise such as Hellman’s mayonnaise.

How to make this recipe

• Shred the leftover cold chicken and slice the cucumber and avocado.
• In a medium mixing bowl combine the mayonnaise with yogurt and curry powder and season with black pepper.
• Stir in the shredded chicken.
• Heat the naan bread until heated through but not crisp.
• Top the naan bread with the cubed avocado and baby spinach then spoon over the chicken salad and top with cucumber.

How to heat naan bread

• Under the Grill – Heat to a medium heat, remove naan from packaging and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle the naan bread with a little water and grill for 1 minute, then turn over and grill the other side for a minute.
• In the oven – Preheat the oven to 180˚C (356˚F). Remove the naan bread from packaging, sprinkle them with a few drops of water, wrap in tin foil, and bake for 3-4 minutes.
• Microwave – Remove from packaging and place on a microwave safe plate. Microwave on full for 20-40 seconds (depending on size of naan)
• In a pan/skillet – Heat the pan over a high heat, place a naan bread into the pan and cook for 5-10 seconds before flipping over and heating the other side for 5-10 seconds.
• Toaster – Pop the naan bread in the toaster for 1-2 minutes.

FAQ

My Recipe Tips

• The cucumber ribbons are purely for presentation; when short for time I chop the cucumber into cubes and mix it in with the chicken.
• You can freeze any leftover naan bread, or keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and serve it with your favourite curry like this chickpea tomato curry. You can also toast leftover naan and serve with your favourite dips including beetroot raita and yogurt and cucumber dip.
• Use the other half of the avocado in this avocado egg sandwich or 3 ingredient avocado vinaigrette.

Variations

• Grilled chicken naan – grill skinless chicken breasts with a little olive oil, salt and pepper until golden and cooked through then use this grilled chicken in place of the leftover chicken.
• Spicy chicken – add a pinch of dried chillies or sprinkle freshly chopped chillies over the top of the naan before serving.
• Naan sandwich – mix the ingredients together then place between two naan breads and slice in half, or make in to Naan wraps – use large naan bread and pile the chicken salad in the middle then fold over to serve.
• Chicken Salad with naan croutons – cut the naan in to square croutons, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper then bake in the oven at 180˚C (356˚F) until golden. Sprinkle over the chicken salad.
• Veggies – Use whatever vegetables you have to hand – I’ve made it with grated carrot and finely chopped celery. Sliced red onion adds a hint of sweet onion flavour and the pink looks pretty with the green. I have also served this chicken and naan recipe with lettuce instead of spinach.
• Low carb option – this chicken salad is delicious served on its own or in crunchy lettuce cups.

More simple, no cook recipes for you

When the weather is hot, and you don’t want to turn the oven on, try these light and easy recipes (the turkey baguette also works really well with leftover chicken)