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This Chicken Salad Recipe with Grapes is so easy to make and delicious! Perfect as a hearty chicken salad sandwich or dipped with some crackers. A tasty and filling lunch or snack.
Guys, this Chicken Salad Recipe (with grapes!) is to die for. Planning a baby shower or brunch OR are you sick of the same old thing for lunch?! This chicken salad has got it all: sweet, salty, spicy and crunchy! It’s my version of chicken salad Veronique and its one of the easiest and yummiest things I’ve made in a long time. Only a few extra ingredients are needed to make a plain chicken salad into something a little more fabulous.
Chicken Salad with Grapes
The first set of ingredients you’ll need to gather are the main mix-ins. Basically, a beautiful blend of chewy and crunchy, bursting with flavor with every bite.
- Chicken – boil or roast your chicken and then cube it or shred it. Shredding creates more surface area for the dressing to hold onto but for this recipe, I cubed the chicken. To make this chicken salad even easier you can use rotisserie chicken! Yum!
- Onion – I used a white onion for its sharper flavor. But if you want something milder, you can use yellow or red onions.
- Celery – celery brings the perfect crunchy fresh factor to this recipe!
- Seedless Grapes – this is a chicken salad with grapes and let me tell you, the grapes are so good. Juicy and sweet, they are the perfect addition.
- Cashews – nutty and crunchy, cashews help balance out all the textures and flavors.
- Parsely – a light flavor that makes all the difference.
The next set of ingredients is for the chicken salad dressing. This dressing is perfectly creamy, with a delicate balance of acidic and sweet (which is further enhanced by the seasonings)!
- Mayonnaise – please please use a good brand of mayonnaise and not Miracle Whip. If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you’ll know I detest Miracle Whip.
- White Vinegar – this is where that acidic taste comes from in the dressing.
- Sugar – to balance out the acidity but to also bring some more sweetness into the salad.
- Salt and Pepper – season to taste!
Other Add-Ins
Chicken Salad is one of the most versatile salads out there. You can swap out ingredients or just keep adding more to customize it to your liking. This Chicken Salad with Grapes is no different! So I’ve gathered up some good ideas for you to try.
Fruit. There are a ton of fruit that you can sub grapes out for or add-in alongside grapes. Here are some to name a few: dried cranberries, dried apricots, chopped apples, and sliced strawberries. The difference between fresh and dried fruit is the chewiness.
Nuts. If you aren’t a fan of cashews you can use: roasted pecans, slivered almonds or chopped walnuts. Whatever you like is best.
Nut Free. Or if you are allergic to nuts, leave them out entirely and replace them with sunflower seeds. That way you still get that crunch!
Creaminess. Some people really don’t like mayonnaise and that’s totally okay. I have a solution for you, simply use: sour cream or Greek yogurt in place of mayo. This also lightens up the whole recipe.
Tips and Tricks for the Best Chicken Salad
Marinating. I find the flavor more appealing once the chicken salad has been ‘marinating’ for an hour or more. Also, the sugar doesn’t dissolve immediately in the dressing, so its best to let the ingredients hang out a little (like 5-ish minutes) so the sugar can dissolve.
Don’t Forget. The parsley is a nice light pleasant flavor that I like, so please don’t leave it out. It makes a world of difference (in my opinion 🙂)
Cold Salad. Because this is meant to be eaten cold, use cold products-meaning: don’t use hot, freshly cooked chicken. Cool it down first before you use it. (It helps prevent bacteria from growing) As a rule, don’t let anything mayonnaise-based sit out (outside, on the counter, etc.) for longer than 3 hours!
How to Make Chicken Salad with Grapes
- Cut cooked chicken breasts into bite-sized cubes.
- In a large bowl, combine chopped chicken, onion, celery, grapes (halved), cashews, parsley and any other add-ins you want to include.
- To make the dressing, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or measuring cup.
- Pour the dressing over the chicken salad and toss to coat. That’s it, you’re done!
To Serve
There are a couple of ways to serve this chicken salad with grapes.
- Plain – this salad is so good just plain by itself. Seriously, try it alone before trying it any other way.
- Sandwich – you can use any sort bread to make a sandwich but I like it best with croissants. Buttery flakey croissants…
- Crackers – these are great little tools to help you shove chicken salad into your mouth… I like to use Triscuits or Ritz crackers but you can use whatever brand you like.
- Toast – back to bread but this time toasted bread! It’s like a sandwich and cracker combined.
How Long Does this Chicken Salad Recipe Last?
To store and keep for later, seal chicken salad with grapes in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days!
Freeze it?
Unfortunately, chicken salad doesn’t freeze well. This is because the dressing tends to separate.
But if you are desperate to freeze this stuff, chop all the ingredients and freeze without dressing it. Instead, make the dressing the day you plan to serve the salad, fresh.
To serve, thaw your frozen chicken salad ingredients in the fridge the night before. Then make the dressing and pour it over top. Enjoy!
More Tasty Salads To Try!
- Basil & Pecan Chicken Salad
- Southwest Chicken Chopped Salad Recipe
- Fancy Chicken & Pecan Pasta Salad
- Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe
This Chicken Salad Recipe is great any way you eat it and guests are sure to love it too! Give it a whirl and make your next lunch a little more exciting and enjoyable! Enjoy!
Chicken Salad with Grapes
Ingredients
- 2 large precooked chicken breasts boiled or roasted
- 1/4 cup onion chopped
- 1/3 cup celery chopped
- 1/3 cup red seedless grapes halved
- 1/3 cup roasted raw cashews
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise use a good quality brand!
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized cubes.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, onion, celery, grapes, cashews, and parsley.
- In small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Pour dressing over chicken and toss to coat. You're done! Eat it how you like it! On bread, with crackers or plain!
taste like grandma useta make
Question – when substituting greek yogurt for mayo do you still use the vinegar and sugar
Just made this recipe and its delicious, I will be making this many times again , was looking for a different type of salad to make and this one is definitely a winner!
I love this recipe, but I do have one question…
What brand of mayonnaise do you use in your recipes?
I only buy the best foods brand. Also known as Hellman’s in some parts of the country.
This was soooo yummy! I only did half the sugar (trying to cut out sugar from diet) but is was still great! Tried to get my kids to try but they wouldn’t but I’m ok with that so I can have it all to myself!
This is one of my favorites!! I love it and do does my family!! It’s great for so many social occasions or just for lunch!!
So delicious! A people pleaser for sure!!
I plan on making this soon.
Absolutely delicious! I have had requests to make this again! Thank you so much Lauren xx
I can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks delicious, and so easy to make.
This chicken salad looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it !
It’s delicious!! ❤️ One of my favorites get together snacks!
I typically put grapes in my chicken salad, but including cashews sounds like a yummy combo!
Oooohhh I can’t wait to try this just bookmarked it to my favorites!
This sounds amazing!
This is my FAVORITE chicken salad recipe!
Wonderful. I made this but shredded the chicken The dressing coats the shredded chicken and it seems to be creamier than when it’s chunky. I also mixed in some pineapple and the juice instead of the vinegar and sugar. cause just can’t do the smell of vinegar.
I’ve been looking for a chicken salad recipe that includes grapes. It’s really hard to find a descent one. I’m looking forward to trying this one. Thank you!
My daughter and I love chicken.salad. We will definitely be trying this one.
This is one of my favorite chicken salad recipes!
Yum! I love this recipe any time of the year!
Lauren I loved this recipe! Will make again! Thanks!
how many sandwiches can you make with one batch? I’m thinking 25 people and putting it on croissants
I made this and absolutely love it!! My entire crew gobbled it up and requested I make it again!! So yummy!!👍❤️❤️
I have made a version of this using fresh green onion shallots and dill weed. It is fantastic!
[…] Chicken Salad with Grapes […]
[…] pecans, celery and all things delicious. It’s a lot of the same ingredients I used for my fancy chicken salad recipe, but I’ve changed up the dressing a bit and added in a pound of […]
This is, almost, the exact recipe I use. However, my son prefers that I chop the chicken. So, I lightly chop it in a food processor. It makes it a little easier to fit into a bun or make a sandwich with. Also, I swap the cashews with pecans. Either would be great. Other than those two changes, this is a GREAT recipe. It’s always a big hit. P.S. I do the same thing with turkey when I have it left over after Thanksgiving. It’s great having one recipe and being able to use two different meats. I encourage you to give this recipe a try…I’m sure you’ll love it!