I just made a huge batch of my favorite chicken salad, and as much as I want to make sandwiches out of the BEST Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts for the rest of the week, I’m not sure it’s going to last as I keep visiting the refrigerator for spoonfuls of it. It has the PERFECT sweet/salty flavor, with a wonderful crunchy texture and might just be the most perfect chicken salad in the world.
This chicken salad recipe was inspired by a sandwich at Galaxy Cafe in Austin, and includes grapes, celery, and walnuts. It’s simple, and easy to make in bulk on the weekend so you can have sandwiches or lettuce wraps (or spoonfuls) all week. It’s the perfect weekend meal prep recipe.
Sometimes, I substitute sour cream for mayo, like in homemade ranch dressing. For this chicken salad, you can use mayo, sour cream, or a mixture of both.
How to make chicken salad with grapes
You will need about 1 pound of cooked chicken. I sometimes grill mine on my cast iron grill by brushing with olive oil and adding salt and pepper to each side. This time, I just used leftover rotisserie chicken from the store.
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!
Here’s a tip: shred the chicken. Don’t chop, shred. I used two forks to do this.
When you shred it, there is more surface for the sauce to stick to, and it will stay in your sandwich better without falling out the sides as much. Physics, people.
- 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.
- 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
- Southwest Chicken Salad with Avocado
- Curried Chicken Salad with Apples and Raisins
- Apricot Chicken Salad with Dill
- Tzatziki Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt
Did you make this chicken salad with grapes recipe? Please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe
Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded (such as rotisserie)
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 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.
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 up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Tori
This tastes great but I don’t understand the nutrition calculation for 4 servings. The mayonnaise alone has over 900 calories in it?
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you like it! Thanks for asking this great question. I use a built-in API in my recipe card plugin calculate my nutrition information, and sometimes it can be a little off. But I did cross-reference this one and it looks to be pretty accurate. A regular mayonnaise has just shy of 100 calories per tablespoon (!), and 2/3 cup is just over 10 tablespoons. Now, this doesn’t take brand into account, so the calorie count may vary depending on that. The nutrition info I provide is my best estimate and calculated using a program with basic information for most ingredients. Hope that helps clarify a bit!
Barb Burwick
Yummy. Good eat all the time chicken salad. Just what I was looking for. Will return to the website for more yummy stuff. Thank you for posting this
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much! So glad you liked it.
Simon
Everything was just fine until I added the parsley and onion. Those last two ingredients will ruin the traditional flavor of this chicken salad. I thought maybe it just needs to marinate and allow the parsley/onion to incorporate and settle down, nope, they never did. Don’t take my word for it though, as flavor and taste are so subjective, make it and decide for yourself.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So funny, the parsley and onion are one of the best parts for me! I love how their flavors combine with the grapes and mayo to help offset the sweetness. For people who are sensitive to the flavor of raw red onion, thinly sliced green onions would be a great substitute. And if you know you don’t really like parsley and onion, feel free to leave them out from the get-go. One of the things I love about this chicken salad (and any chicken salad really) is how forgiving it is- you can add, omit, or use different amounts of things and it will usually turn out fine.
Becca
So delicious!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks! so glad you like it :-)
Marijane Friday
This is my favorite chicken salad, LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Same here- I can’t get enough! So glad you like it :-)
Sherre
I officially have my mom trained to check Bowl of Delicious first when we’re looking for a new recipe 😂 she surprised me and made this for my lunch from a leftover roast chicken. I’m in love, this is officially my favorite chicken salad ever!
Elizabeth Lindemann
OMG you are so nice to say that and to share with your mom! SO happy you like this chicken salad, I make it literally all the time too :-)
Monica
Great recipe. I love all of the different textures and flavors. I didn’t have mayo in the house but I had plain Greek yogurt and heavy cream. It made it rich and creamy!
Elizabeth Lindemann
I just made this a couple days ago, too! Love the idea of Greek yogurt and heavy cream. Glad you liked it!
Kseniya
My favorite salad now!!!! Good with lettuce cups, great on spinach, yummy on a bagel, my whole family loves this salad!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks! So glad you and your family like it!!
Rea
I’ve always made this but with green onions like Neiman Marcus does. Either way, you can’t go wrong. I sometimes use 1/2 mayo and 1/2 sour cream or heavy cream. This has to be one of my all time favorite chicken dishes.
Elizabeth Lindemann
I often make this with green onions too- I like switching it up depending on what I have on hand. You really can’t go wrong! So glad you like this recipe :-)