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!
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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
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise or sour cream or Greek yogurt, see notes
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt more or less depending on saltiness of chicken, see notes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper plus more if needed
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken such as rotisserie
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/2 cup halved red grapes or quartered depending on size
- 1/2 cup finely diced celery about 1 large or 2 small ribs
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
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Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the 2/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley.
- Add the 2 cups cooked shredded chicken, 1/2 cup halved red grapes, 1/2 cup finely diced celery, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, and 1/4 cup finely diced red onion. 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.
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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:
Diana Hughes
Easy to make. Used the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken and sliced it thin. Then took the slice and shredded it with the grain of the chicken. Perfect shreds. The salad is DELICIOUS!!!! Put it on a warm slightly crusted roll. Thank you for the perfect recipe. Next time I will try apples….it is Fall!
Elizabeth Lindemann
What a great way to shred the chicken! Thanks for the tip, and so glad you liked the recipe :-)
Wendy
My new favorite! I made a whole chicken in my instant pot. It was so tender it just literally collapsed in on itself. I used it to make this salad. I left out the onions and parsley. We especially loved the grapes. I didn’t really measure anything, I just used this as a jumping off point.
Elizabeth Lindemann
I love cooking up a whole chicken like this and using it for chicken salad- I usually use my slow cooker. So glad you liked the recipe!
Janet Szostakostak
Loved this recipe! The flavors together were delicious. This will be my go to recipe now with leftover chicken.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Lisa Whicker
I made this by roasting chicken breasts with olive oil, salt, pepper and tarragon at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. I pulsed the chicken just slightly in a food processor. This recipe is to live for!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and thank you for sharing your method for cooking the chicken and shredding in a food processor!
JB
Best chicken salad in a jiffy
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Beth
Love it!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks! Glad you liked it :-)
Debbie Cardin
Made chicken salad this morning and had it for lunch. Not much left! Used walnuts grapes and mayo. Big hit!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Donna Russell
I just made this, so I have no feedback from family, but I think it’s terrific. I used a pink Lady apple, and walnuts, red onion, celery, grapes, and used a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream for the dressing. Not sure how it will hold up til this evening, but it was fantastic as freshly served.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding apple.
Shannon
I used light mayo and honey roasted walnuts. I also added fresh dill. Served it simply, on a bun with a bed of lettuce. Delicious! Perfect for summer.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Yvonne Thomas
Most Excellent recipe!! I include dried Cranberries as well.
Elizabeth Lindemann
I love adding dried cranberries when I make this with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving! Glad you liked it :-)
Glen rowe
Best i have ever had
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Barbara
Made this with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. Added dried cranberries too. Thank for the wonderful recipe, our family loved all the flavors!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your family liked it!
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!
Debra Boggs
The best . I’ve been making chicken salad like this for years. I crave it. Sometimes the grapes don’t mix well when I blend. Any ideas why?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I recommend cutting the grapes smaller- quarter them, or even more, if they are quite large. The smaller all the pieces in the chicken salad, the more everything will cohesively mix together. Hope that helps!
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 :-)