I just made a huge batch of my favorite chicken salad, and as much as I want to make sandwiches out of this Awesome 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.
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, or whatever cooked chicken meat you have.
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.
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 :-)
Recipe below. Enjoy!
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
- 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.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
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 :-)