Robyn Stone
This Chicken Salad with Grapes Recipe makes a quick, delicious meal! It also has roasted nuts for the best chicken salad recipe and makes a great chicken salad sandwich too!
Chicken salad has to be one of the most perfect dishes for an easy meal at home or to take to a picnic or potluck. This recipe is absolutely full of amazing flavor, is simple to make and is positively the best chicken salad I’ve ever eaten!
I think this chicken salad recipe is such a delicious one because the generous amount of chicken is combined with fruit and roasted pecans for a savory crunch and flavor that’s a hit every time! It’s a recipe that I turn to time and time again for family meals, picnics, and parties. And you just have to try this for the best chicken salad sandwich ever!
Chicken Salad with Grapes Recipe
This makes a great salad for lunch, a light supper, and takes hardly any time to mix all together. I love to keep a container of it in the refrigerator for super quick lunches. It’s great on its own and makes the best sandwich and is delicious to fill wraps. I also love to make it to serve large gatherings of people at potlucks, picnics, or even tailgating! It is always a hit!
I think everyone enjoys this recipe because of the addition of the fresh grapes. They add a burst of sweetness to the salad for the perfect blend of savory and sweet!
How to Make Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients you’ll need:
Chicken. You’ll need four cups of cooked chicken that you shred or chop, depending on the texture that you prefer. You can easily shred the chicken in your stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer if you want. Shredding with two forks also works great.
For the chicken, you can use baked chicken that you cook ahead or make Instant Pot chicken. You can even use rotisserie chicken if you wish .
Celery. Chopped celery adds the perfect amount of crunch and freshness.
Grapes. Halved seedless grapes add a touch of sweetness. I love to use red seedless grapes as they add another bit of color to the salad.
Dried Cranberries. Sweet and yet a little tart, the dried cranberries are a delicious addition as well.
Roasted Pecans. Chopped roasted pecans are a great addition. Omit them if allergic to nuts or if you are serving at an event and do not know if there are nut allergies.
Mayonnaise or Greek Yogurt. You can use all mayo or all Greek Yogurt in your salad or even a little bit of each. Greek Yogurt will help to lighten up the recipe, but it is definitely a matter of preference.
Seasonings. Salt and pepper are the perfect seasonings for it.
Celery leaves. Chopped celery leaves add so much flavor, but if you don’t have them just omit.
How Long Does Chicken Salad Last?
In the Refrigerator? This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Simply store in an airtight container. Refrigerate right after serving.
Left Out at Room Temperature? For food safety, I like to stick to what the FDA advises… “the two-hour rule”….which applies since this recipe has chicken and mayonnaise, you should not leave this out at room temperature for any longer than two hours.
Left Out at Picnic or Potluck? If you are serving this at a summer event and the temperature is warmer, you should be extra careful to refrigerate as soon as possible. Again, I look to the FDA for their safety rule. If the outside temperature is above 90 degrees, the “two-hour rule” becomes ONE hour.
How to Serve:
- Wrap. Stuff and slice in half for a simple wrap.
- Croissant. Toast a croissant and then fill.
- Bibb Lettuce. Make a lettuce cups by washing and drying leaves of Bibb lettuce and placing onto a plate. Then fill with scoops and serve.
How Much to Serve Per Person:
If you are making for serving a large group, at a party or event, you’ll want to increase the amount that you make. Here is the rule of thumb that I use for how much to prepare per person.
- Sandwiches and wraps = 4 – 6 ounces per person
- Lettuce cups = 4 – 6 ounces per person
- Main dish = 8 ounces per person
Other Chicken Salad Recipes We Love:
To say that we enjoy chicken salad in our family is an understatement! My husband is especially a fan – from this all-time favorite and other recipes listed – it’s always a hit around my house!
Here’s my recipe for Chicken Salad with Grapes that I think you’ll love.
Chicken Salad with Grapes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked, chopped chicken
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup red seedless grapes halved
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup roasted pecans chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise or Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- celery leaves chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Add chopped chicken to a large bowl along with celery, grapes, dried cherries, chopped pecans, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. If using chopped celery leaves, add these as well. Stir together until just combined.
Notes
To lighten up the recipe, you can use Greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise. I used plain Greek Yogurt for the nutrition calculations.
Nutrition Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Very yummy. I used a store bought rotisserie chicken. My teens love this recipe and they’re very picky. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Thanks Rachelle! xo
Delicious! I substituted 1/2 cup of chopped apples for the dried cherries, used a little less mayo, and added a tiny squirt of honey. On toast with a little butter, yum! 😋
I love this chicken salad on toast, Nancy! So happy you enjoyed it! xo
This was delicious. I made a couple of alterations. I used a rotisserie chicken, also, substuted pistacios for the pecans and I used 1/2 plain low fat Greek yogurt and 1/2 regular Mayo.
Also, I would like to say that it does only take 5 minutes once everything is prepped. Pulling the chicken off the carcass and chopping it took longer than 5 minutes, not to mention, roasting and chopping the nuts, washing and chopping the celery, washing and halving the grapes and locating and measuring the dried cherries. In all, it took about an hour to come together.
It is a nice make ahead dish and a good thing to keep in the fridge for when you get hungry. I served mine on a croissant with lettuce. And I had fresh tomatoes on the side.
This one is a keeper.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Pat. It is great to make with a rotisserie chicken! Thanks!
Love the addition of the dried cherries!
I am not much of a cook, BUT, I made this up with craisins I had instead of grapes and Cherries. Used the Pecans! And my husband LOVED it! Going to be a go to on a simple dinner night, or lunch!
Thanks Dianne! xo
Absolutely delicious! Made it exactly as recipe says and I will not be deviating one bit. My sil said only thing wrong was I didn’t make enough! So getting ready to make another batch.
Great to hear that you like it Joy! My husband always says the same thing! 😉 Thanks!
What’s better to use mayl or Greek yogurt
Hi Robert,
My family enjoys it best with mayo, but it’s good with Greek yogurt too for those that don’t like mayo, or may want to lighten it up a bit. I hope you enjoy it – it’s one of our favorites! Thanks!
I did not have any grapes which I usually have but I added diced granny smith apples and of course substituted turkey for chicken this time of year! Thanks
Thanks Jill! xo
When using rotisserie chicken, do you use the dark meat? In the past, I have only used chicken breast. Thanks.
You can if you wish, Jenny. It’s a personal preference. Thanks!
My bf ‘s comment and I quote “This is the best sandwich I have ever had. ” (I served it on croissants) Absolutely delicious!!
So glad to hear that Trish! xo
The chicken salad with grapes, small amount pecans, and used small amount apple minced instead of cherries. Made sandwiches of this for church sunday, everyone loved them. Thank you
About how many servings does this recipe make?
Hi Abby,
It makes around 8 servings. Enjoy!
How much is a serving
I made it with a rotisserie chicken also. Had a pomegranate I needed to use up, so I used pomegranate seeds in place of dried cherries and also subbed 1/2 Greek yogurt for 1/2 of the Mayo. It tastes great!
I’m happy you enjoyed it Kelly! xo
Can you use canned chicken if you don’t don’t have other chicken
Hi Diane,
I’ve never made it with canned chicken but it would be probably be fine. If you try it, let me know how you like it.
Wow! Follow directions for pecans. Amazing.
Thanks, Audrey!
Are the calories per serving or for the whole batch?
Hi Marti,
The calories are per serving. Hope you enjoy the salad. Thanks!
I was skeptical of trying with greek yogurt, but it’s such a good healthy alternative!!
Hi Rebecca,
I love the taste with the Greek Yogurt almost as much as with the mayonnaise! I agree, it is a good healthy alternative! Thanks!
Best Chicken Salad Ever !!!!!
Thanks so much, Carol! This is an all-time favorite at my house, too.