Chicken Salad with Grapes Recipe

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4.96 from 148 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

4.96 from 148 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.

4.96 from 148 votes (30 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Review




429 Comments

  1. Vicki Stump says:

    I’ve always added coconut to my chicken salad, along with the rest of your ingredients. It’s delicious & always gets rave reviews at parties.

  2. Vicki says:

    5 stars
    This is the best chicken salad I’ve ever had. The combo of chicken, celery, grapes, dried cranberries and pecans tasted amazing with a great crunch and sweetness, and just the right amount of mayo. It was perfect for the bridal shower-tea party my sisters and I threw for our niece-to-be. We served it on mini croissants and they looked great on the tiered platter; I had to replenish the plate 3 times! Thanks for my new go-to recipe!

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks, Vicki. I love this chicken salad on mini croissants for showers or parties. I’m so glad you loved it.

  3. Debby Wood says:

    5 stars
    I have made the chicken salad that has cranberries, grapes, pecan and celery. It is so delicious and makes for a great light meal in the summer. I like to make it, chill in the refrigerator for about 3 or 4 hours, then serve on either croissants or club crackers. It seems that, as the harsh heat of summer, is when I like it on crackers. This recipe is always a hit with any function or guest I have over. It is so simple, and oh it is so good!

  4. Rosana says:

    Delicious

  5. Samilyn Abschneider says:

    5 stars
    Best chicken salad !!!! My family loves it

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks, Samilyn. I’m glad your family loves it.

  6. Jim Sisk says:

    The prep time for chicken salad is 5 minutes if someone else does the chopping. Otherwise at least half an hour, even more when you try to chop up dried cherries. But the results are worth it- my kids and grandkids love it. I could eat it three times a day.

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Jim, I’m happy that your family loves this chicken salad. Prep time in a recipe considers that the chopping, measuring, etc. have been done and the ingredients are at the level described in the recipe ingredient list. Prep time just figures the time it takes to follow the steps in the recipe instructions. While it took you 30 minutes to prep the ingredients, someone else may take 45 minutes or 20 minutes to prep.

  7. Ellie says:

    Made it for my Ladies Night Out and everyone just loved it!

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      So glad everyone loved it, Ellie.

  8. Ramona Hyatt says:

    5 stars
    Very very tasty, everyone loved it!

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks, Ramona, so glad you enjoyed this chicken salad.

  9. Dixie says:

    Robyn, could plz note how many servings this makes. Thank you-your chicken salad, with grapes, cranberries, pecans.

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Dixie, this recipe makes 8 (8 ounce) servings for main meal. You can use 4 to 6 ounces per wrap or croissant. Hope you enjoy!

  10. Janna says:

    5 stars
    Perfect Chicken Salad recipe! Better on day 2 and 3! Shared with friends!

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks, Janna. This salad does stay fresh for a couple of days. I’m so glad you and your friends enjoyed it.