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 plus more if needed
- 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.
Video
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and 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:
Jodi
PERFECT!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Diana Cates
Absolutely wonderful!! Making it again tonight because we loved it so much last week. I made ours with canned white meat chicken because our small grocer was out of rotisserie chicken the day I went. I used 3 large cans so ended up eyeballing the other ingredients, adding more to match the chicken, but it came out perfect. Great recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Debizme
Nice and easy recipe and totally delicious. I didn’t have fresh parsley, so I o my used 1
Tbsp. I also did not have red ion so I substituted it with scallions, maybe less than 1/4 cup. I will be making this again and will follow your ingredients to compare. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I’ve also swapped out the red onion for scallions before with great results. And I’ll often throw whatever herbs I have in it.