Chicken Salad with Grapes Recipe

433 Comments

4.95 from 151 votes
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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! Perfect for serving for lunch, supper, or entertaining too!

Looking for more delicious chicken recipes? You’ll love Chicken and DumplingsChicken Parmesan, and Chicken Fajitas, to name a few!

Closeup photograph of chicken salad made with grapes, raisins, celery and pecans in a blue bowl.

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 toasted 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 have to try this for the best chicken salad sandwich ever!

Chicken Salad with Grapes Recipe

Photograph of chicken with grapes in a blue bowl on a wooden background.

This makes a great salad for lunch and 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, 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 fresh grapes. They add a burst of sweetness to the salad for the perfect blend of savory and sweet!

How to Make the Best Chicken Salad

You’ll need the following to make this delicious salad:

Ingredients

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 or roasted 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, omit them.

Step-by-Step Instructions

This is incredibly simple to make yet so scrumptious.

  • Add the chopped chicken and all of the other ingredients to a large bowl. If using chopped celery leaves, add these as well.
  • Stir together until just combined.
  • Serve in your favorite way, and enjoy!

How Long Does Chicken Salad Last?

Refrigerator – This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 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.

Chicken Salad on a croissant surrounded by red grapes.

Ways to Serve

  • Wrap. Stuff and slice in half for a simple wrap.
  • Croissant. Toast a croissant and then fill it with the chicken salad.
  • Bibb Lettuce. Make lettuce cups by washing and drying leaves of Bibb lettuce and placing them onto a plate. Then, fill with scoops of chicken salad and serve.

Tip – How Much Chicken Salad to Serve Per Person

If you are making for serving a large group for 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

More Chicken Salad Recipes We Love

To say that we enjoy chicken salad in our family is an understatement! My husband is especially a fan, and it’s always a hit around my house!

Photograph of chicken salad with grapes, celery and raisins in a blue bowl on a wooden background.

Here’s my recipe for Chicken Salad with Grapes that I think you’ll love.

Chicken Salad with Grapes Recipe

4.95 from 151 votes
Chicken Salad with Grapes Recipe – This chicken salad recipe makes a delicious, quick meal. Made with chicken, grapes, and roasted nuts, it is always a favorite!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked, chopped chicken
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup roasted pecans, chopped
  • 1 cup mayonnaise, or Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • celery leaves, chopped (optional)

Instructions 

  • Add chopped chicken to a large bowl along with celery, grapes, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. If using chopped celery leaves, add these as well.
  • Stir together until just combined. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Lighten Up!

To lighten up the recipe, you can use Greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise. 
I used plain Greek Yogurt for the nutrition calculations. 

How Long Does Chicken Salad Last?

Refrigerator – This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 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 it as soon as possible. The FDA food safety rule notes if the outside temperature is above 90 degrees, the “two-hour rule” becomes ONE hour.

Nutrition

Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 279mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Collage photograph of closeup favorite chicken salad with grapes, roasted nuts, and celery in a blue bowl.

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

4.95 from 151 votes (30 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Review




433 Comments

  1. Lynne says:

    5 stars
    This sounds awesome! I had a similar recipe, which I misplaced; am looking forward to trying this.
    My two cents worth on the boiled/poached hicken controversy: Some time ago, I stumbled on a method for juicy never-overcooked chicken breast — steeping! You need a large pot, that your breasts will essentially form a single layer on the bottom, don’t worry if the skinny, pointy tips overlap. If you’re only doing one breast, just use a small pan. Anyway, lay out the breasts in the bottom of the pan, add enough water or chicken broth to come up to one inch over the chicken. Now, remove the chicken and reserve it — you don’t need to put it back in the fridge. Bring the water/broth to a boil. Once it is boiling, remove the pan from the heat, and put the chicken back into the pan. Cover the pan and let it stand for 20 minutes. To refrigerate, place cooked chicken in a bag or container, add a little bit of the broth to help keep the chicken moist. The meat stays tender ‘cuz it never gets up to full boiling temperature, and it doesn’t overcook ‘cuz there’s no heat under it.

  2. KAT says:

    5 stars
    Used Costco chicken and a portion of cranberry and walnut pkg.

    Delish. Nice hot outside dinner for us. The grapes are so refreshing.

  3. Pat says:

    5 stars
    Delish~We had croissants filled with this salad!

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks, Pat. We love this salad that way, too.

  4. Jean Waldrop says:

    Of all your recipes, this is one of my very favorites. Just simply delicious.

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I’m so glad you like this recipe, Jean. Thanks!

  5. Kathie says:

    Used dried cherries instead of cranberries….excellent!!

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks, Kathie. I love it with dried cherries sometimes, too.

  6. Haley Reeder says:

    5 stars
    Yummy! Printed off after eating it. Now you know it’s a real winner when I print a recipe. Perfect for our 4th of July celebration.

  7. Jan says:

    How much in advance can I make the salad?

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Jan, this recipe keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I would make it no more than a day ahead. Simply store in an airtight container.

  8. Grace says:

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe. Easy to make and very tasty. My husband rarely repeats a compliment but he repeatedly said, “That was a really good salad!”

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks, Grace, I’m glad your husband liked it. It is one of my husband’s favorites, too.

  9. Sandy says:

    loved the recipe. I added roasted cashews and a little green onion and it was very good.

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      So glad you liked it, Sandy.

  10. Joyce says:

    5 stars
    Very easy and tasted very good. We added sliced almonds instead of pecans because that is what we had on hand. We added all mayo for the person with a dairy allergy and mostly yogurt for the rest.

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks, Joyce, I like it with sliced almonds sometimes, too. So glad this worked for the person allergic to dairy.