Chicken Salad with Grapes is a classic! This version has walnuts (or pecans) for an added crunch. It has a great sweet and salty flavor, a crunchy texture, and the pop of those sweet grapes with everything? SO good. I like making this in bulk for lunches all week, served on a sandwich or scooped on a bed of greens, or even with crackers as a snack. It might just be the most perfect chicken salad in the world. And it’s easy to make it mayo-free by using sour cream or Greek yogurt instead!
If you’ve never tried chicken salad with grapes before, now’s the time my friend. You’ll never go back!
On the weekend, I like cooking up a whole chicken in my slow cooker. Then I use half of the the meat for a dinner, like chicken and dumplings, and I ALWAYS make this chicken salad with the rest of the meat.
For this chicken salad recipe, you can use mayonnaise, sour cream, or a mixture of both for the base. Or even Greek yogurt!
And there’s a secret here to making the best chicken salad – shred, don’t chop the chicken. Read on to learn why!
What kind of cooked chicken to use for chicken salad
You will need about 2 cups, or 1 pound of cooked shredded chicken for this recipe. If you have a little more or a little less, that’s fine.
I sometimes grill mine on my cast iron grill by brushing with olive oil and adding salt and pepper to each side. But a rotisserie chicken fresh from the store is a great way to make easy work of this recipe.
You can use leftover roast chicken, slow cooker whole chicken, poached chicken breasts, or whatever cooked chicken meat you have. You can even use canned chicken in a pinch!
For chicken salad, shred the chicken – don’t chop.
Here’s the secret for the best chicken salad: don’t chop, shred! I used two forks to do this.
When you shred it, there is more surface and nooks and crannies for the sauce to stick to, and it will stay in your sandwich better without falling out the sides as much. It’s physics, people.
How to make chicken salad with grapes
- Add to the bowl 2/3 cup of mayo or sour cream, or 1/3 cup of each. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add some fresh parsley, and mix.
- Add the shredded chicken to the bowl and mix well.
- Quarter some red grapes and slice some celery very thinly. Add them to a large bowl, along with some chopped walnuts and red onions.
- Mix together, and you’re done!
Variations
- Try adding other fruit, like apples, or other nuts, like almonds or pecans. It’s super versatile!
- I love the parsley in this, but it would be great with other herbs like mint or dill. You can also leave out the parsley if you want.
- Serve it on bread, or try on lettuce wraps for a low-carb version, or simply served on a bed of greens. I also love eating it for a snack with crackers straight out of the fridge!
Go ahead, try a spoonful. Or 7.
This recipe makes a bulk batch of chicken salad with grapes and walnuts, which is enough for 6-8 sandwiches. Elizabeth-sized sandwiches. I don’t mess around.
If you want less, adjust the ingredients accordingly :-)
Other Chicken Salad Recipes
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Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded (such as rotisserie)
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise or sour cream or Greek yogurt, see notes
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion finely diced
- 1/2 cup red grapes quartered or halved, depending on size
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt more or less depending on saltiness of chicken, see notes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus more if needed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise (2/3 cup), salt (1/2 teaspoon), black pepper (1/2 teaspoon), and fresh chopped parsley (2 tablespoons).
- Add the shredded chicken (2 cups), halved or quartered grapes (1/2 cup), diced celery (1/2 cup), chopped walnuts (1/4 cup), and diced red onion (1/4 cup). Stir well to combine.
- Serve on sandwiches with toasted bread, on lettuce wraps, or on top of a green salad.
Notes
- Walnut substitution: Not a fan of walnuts? You can use slivered or sliced almonds, or chopped pecans, instead. For a nut-free version, use sunflower seeds in place of the walnuts, so you still have that awesome crunch.
- For a mayo-free version, try sour cream or Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
- Mix it up! Fruits are great in chicken salad- try using dried apricots, chopped apples, or even strawberries in place of the grapes.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in your fridge for about 3 days.
- Salt amount: If you are using a rotisserie chicken, or otherwise heavily seasoned/salty chicken, you may need less added salt, if any at all. If using plain unseasoned chicken, such as poached chicken with no added salt, you may need more. If you are unsure, I suggest mixing the chicken salad with no salt, tasting it, and adjusting as needed.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Miss Karla
Great recipe. I made just a half of the recipe as it was just me, thinking I would have two meals…nope! I ate it all in one sitting. Next time I will use Greek yogurt to keep it a little bit healthier on the fat content. Thank you for this recipe. I’m putting it in my Family Treasures recipe book.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I feel honored it’s being added to your Family Treasures recipe book. Thank you so much :-)
Teressa
This turned out wonderful! I swapped the salt for Accent due to health reasons but it came out so good! Sweet and tangy!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Channelle Massirnellie
Can you freeze this?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I wouldn’t – I think the texture of the grapes and celery would not be great after freezing.
Elaine Segovia
Delicious, I added green apples to give it just a little more crunch.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Great idea! Thanks for sharing this suggestion, and I’m glad you liked it!
Miss Karla
I love the idea of apples!
D Wilson
I made this recipe but was not aware that I had no parsley, fresh or dried. I substituted dried Taragon leaves and it was delicious! I also did not have red onion but used sweet onion. Great recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I love tarragon in chicken salad.
Susie Droba
My go to chicken salad every time
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Sue Bidwell
I’m making this for my Future Daughter in law’s bridal shower this Saturday. I have 24 people coming, should I triple the recipe? Also, can I make it on Thursday or should I wait until Friday? Thank you!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh goodness, just catching up on this comment now – I hope you were able to figure it out before the bridal shower! For the future, and for anyone else wondering, yes I think tripling this would be fine for this amount of people, especially if it’s being served with other things. You can definitely make it a few days in advance – two days in advance is just fine.
Philip
A little bland
Elizabeth Lindemann
It’s possible it needed more salt – the amount of salt you need depends a lot on the chicken used. Rotisserie from the store often has a lot of flavor but if you’re using something like plain poached chicken make sure to load up on the salt! And feel free to add other herbs or seasonings if you want.
Miss Karla
I also thought that, so I tried a 1/4 tsp of mustard in half a recipe with great results.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Great idea, thanks for sharing! Powdered mustard, I assume?
Jera
Easy, deliciously addicting
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Patricia Carroll
This was delicious and a simple meal. I had mine on a bed of spring greens and my sister had her’s as a sandwich. I made it with sour cream and next time will add a few more grapes.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jan
I had cooked chicken, grapes and nuts. Sounds like chicken salad. Googled appropriate recipes and found this. It was incredibly good and simple to make! Love it!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I just made a batch myself – it’s a very common occurance in my house!
Nancy
This was a very good recipe! The fresh parsley was a nice touch.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
RHONDA HILL
Yummy!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
April Dixon
Delicious recipe! Instead of grapes, i added dried cranberries and it was a hit! My first time making chicken salad too! 😊
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! You’ve inspired me – off to buy a rotisserie chicken and some dried cranberries now!
janet sloan
I can’t wait to try it with cranberries, THANK YOU
Elizabeth Lindemann
I love it with cranberries, have fun and enjoy!
Rika Dewina
Love the recipe! Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!