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.
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 up to 5 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:
Seana Ray
This is the first time I tried making a ‘grape and walnut’ chicken salad and it was delicious! My husband loved it too!
I did 1/3 cup of Miracle whip lite and 1/3 cup of sour cream.
Next time I want to add some diced honey crisp apples.
Great recipe, I’m sending my daughters your link!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Great idea about using diced apples. YUM.
Terry Bochmann
So good!! Thank you for the recipe 😋😍
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Dee
I made this chicken salad today with rotisserie chicken and it was terrific! I love the addition of the grapes and walnuts. Thank you for the recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Laura
I like it a bit tangy so use miracle whip.Other than that the recipe for me is perfection
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it!
BERNADETTE
What is considered a serving size (considering 439 calories)?
Elizabeth Lindemann
A serving size is the whole batch divide by four – which would probably be about 1 cup. Hope that helps!
Kay M
Delicious
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Brinlee
SO FREAKING GOOD!!!!!!! This was my go-to all last summer!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Lisa Sample
I made this twice. The second time I added a cup of grapes, walnuts, celery and doubled the salt and pepper. I also added chopped water chestnuts. It is so good. I serve it on Hawaiian sweet bread. Thanks for the recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Wow, love the idea of adding water chestnuts! Glad you liked it :-)
Kris
I’ve had variations of this (chicken/grapes/nuts) from delis for years, but wanted a good reference recipe when I made my own. This was great!
I used the nuts I had (slivered almonds) and toasted them a bit. I think the suggestion to do a mayo/ sour cream blend is a fantastic touch! I had precooked shredded chicken in the freezer (I do a big crock full before hot weather sets in) but apparently I didn’t season it as much as usual. Wound up bumping up the red onion and pepper to get a bit more zip in the flavor.
I’m keeping a copy of this in my computer files!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I use slivered almonds a lot for this recipe too – such a great idea to toast them first!
Lev Raphael
I’ve made this many times, with shredded chicken and with chopped. Both are good, but I definitely think pecans are better than bland walnuts.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I often add pecans to this instead of walnuts, or even slices or slivered almonds. Basically whatever I have.
Bridget
Absolutely my favorite chicken salad recipe. I leave out onions and parsley and use half sour cream and half Kraft Mayo. My husband can eat this in 1 meal so I have to double it if I want any. Thanks so much. Bridget
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Lisa Goldschmidt
Excellent recipe. I think the salt was too much – I will reduce it next time. I also wanted more grapes and walnuts in ration to the chicken, so I added extra of those.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Marty luck
I love the addition of walnuts and grapes, instead of parsley add tarragon
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it! Tarragon would be great in this.
Joanne
I made this recipe and absolutely loved it! So easy. I used two roasted chicken breasts from the grocery store so I didn’t have to cook. Subbed dill as suggested because I LOVE dill. So good and makes perfect amount for a single person like myself to have for a dinner and a few lunches. I ate it on toasted mini naan. Thank you for sharing this tasty recipe!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Marsha
My aunt adds whipped cream instead of sour cream. Stays moist and tastes delicious.
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve never heard of that before – sounds delicious! Thanks for the tip.
Suzie
Easy and very good! I
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!