Chicken Salad with Grapes made with shredded chicken, celery, fresh juicy grapes, and a simple, light and creamy dressing in 10 minutes. Perfect for salads, sandwiches, and wraps!
Let's just say this recipe is inspired by the Sonoma Chicken Salad recipe from Whole Foods. It's so good!
This isn't your typical 'classic chicken salad recipe' that has a super dense dressing. Rather, this chicken salad with grapes is more on the sweeter side, less savory than my chicken salad with pomegranate recipe.
And while it does call for mayo, you can definitely swap out most of it for Greek yogurt. You do you 😉
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy Recipe Chop up or shred any kind of chicken (boiled, roasted, or rotisserie), dice up a little bit of celery and a few grapes. Then, whisk together a simple dressing.
- High in Protein 23 grams of protein per serving! Chicken salad is a great way to help meet your protein needs.
- Meal Prep Make a big batch of homemade chicken salad, so you have enough for a few days. Chicken salad packs well for lunches and makes an easy meal, especially on busy weeknights and hot summer days.
- Kid-Approved It's one thing for my own kids to like this recipe, but it was even more special when my nephew gave it rave reviews! 😍
- Dairy-Free This is a dairy-free and gluten-free chicken salad recipe.
Dietitian Tip
At least half of the mayonnaise a recipe calls for can almost always be replaced with whole milk Greek yogurt as a way to add protein and reduce the amount of saturated fat without compromising taste.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Use shredded chicken breasts (or thighs), store-bought rotisserie chicken, or leftover roasted chicken. Chicken is an excellent source of protein!
- Grapes Use red seedless grapes for the best color. Grapes add fiber and a variety of nutrients.
- Celery High in fiber and rich in minerals. Celery adds color, texture, and flavor. According to my kids, chicken salad isn't chicken salad without celery.
- Walnuts (optional) A good source of protein, fiber, and magnesium. They are also high in omega-3 fatty acids (ALA). Walnuts give this chicken salad a nice texture.
How to Make This Chicken Salad with Grapes Recipe
Here is a summary of the steps to make this easy chicken salad recipe. For a full list of ingredients and complete instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Add all dressing ingredients to a large bowl and whisk well.
- Add chicken, celery, grapes, and walnuts (optional) to the dressing.
- Stir well to incorporate the dressing.
- Taste this recipe as is before adding salt or black pepper. If you think it could use some, stir in a small amount at a time and taste again before adding more.
Helpful Tips
- Use shredded chicken. If it's easier to chop the chicken, take a fork to the chopped chicken to shred some of it. This will allow the dressing to cover more surface area of the chicken.
- Let sit or refrigerate for five minutes before serving for the best flavor.
- If you are using freshly roasted chicken, let it come to room temperature before using it to make chicken salad.
Questions You May Have
Chicken salad can be served on top of a lettuce salad, served with crackers, as a sandwich, or in a wrap. If you have large pieces of celery left, you can fill in the center of the stalks with chicken salad and eat it that way, too!
Store chicken salad refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
I don't recommend freezing chicken salad of any kind.
More Lunch Recipes
- Quick Tuna and Chickpea Salad (High-Protein Lunch)
- Simple Egg Salad with Greek Yogurt (No Mayo)
- Green Goddess Salad with Green Goddess Dressing (Homemade)
- Green Goddess Salad Dressing (No Oil, No Mayo)
Did you make this chicken salad with grapes recipe and love it? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and comment below. A 5-star rating is the best compliment!
Don't forget to follow me @carrots.and.cookies on Instagram for more easy recipes. Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Salad with Grapes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cooked chicken, shredded
- ⅓ cups red grapes About 14 grapes. Sliced in half lengthwise.
- 1 stalk celery Washed. Chopped into small pieces. About ⅓ of a cup.
- 1 tablespoon walnut pieces, toasted Smashed into very small pieces. Optional.
Dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise Preferably avocado oil-based mayonnaise.
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- salt and black pepper To taste. Optional.
Instructions
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Add shredded chicken, celery, grapes, and walnuts (optional) to the dressing.
- Mix all ingredients together so that the dressing is evenly distributed.
Notes
- For optimal flavor, let sit or refrigerate for five minutes before serving.
- Use either homemade shredded chicken breast or shred leftover rotisserie chicken.
- If you are using chicken that you just cooked, let it come to room temperature before using it in this recipe.
- Can replace half of the mayonnaise with whole milk Greek yogurt.
- This chicken salad can be served on sandwiches, in wraps, or with crackers.
- For school lunches, pack the chicken salad in its own airtight container and the crackers or sandwich bread separately so they don't get soggy.
Amy R says
Just made this tonight for lunch tomorrow. So good!
Kristi says
Thanks for letting me know, Amy! So great that you planned ahead!
Lisa says
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Will see if the kids want to pack it for school lunches. Thanks for the idea.
Kristi says
Yay, I'm so glad!