Chicken Salad Recipe
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This chicken salad recipe made with fruit and nuts is the perfect lunch recipe idea. It is the BEST chicken salad recipe!
Whenever I make this chicken salad recipe I have to make a double batch because it is everyone’s favorite! I like to serve it with refrigerator pickles our homemade white bread or french bread recipe. You can also serve it with our cracker recipe too!
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Chicken Salad
Chicken Salad Recipe
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Why you’ll love this recipe!
📌 Creamy, salty, sweet, and crunchy. The perfect combination!
📌 Easy to make and easy to adjust based on your personal tastes.
📌 Put it in a sandwich, in a wrap, over lettuce, or enjoy straight from the bowl!
Chicken salad recipe ingredients
- Chicken – My preference for chicken salad is chicken breast. With the mayonnaise you don’t have to worry about it tasting too dry.
- Onion – Red onion is my favorite, but sweet yellow onion will work in a pinch also.
- Grapes – Red grapes! Make sure they’re seedless though, this is important.
- Almonds – Almonds are my favorites, but almost any nut (or even some seeds!) will be delicious.
- Mayonnaise – I love a full fat mayo in this chicken salad recipe, a little goes a lot way.
- Spices – Salt and pepper, to taste.
Make it into a chicken salad wrap for lunch!
How do you make chicken salad? (step-by-step directions)
⭐ First, gather all your ingredients, making sure the onion is finely minced and the chicken is well chopped or shredded.
⭐ Next, add everything to a large bowl and mix well to combine.
⭐ Then, taste test and add seasonings to taste as desired.
⭐ Finally, enjoy as-is or on on your favorite bread.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
Preparation
How do you make chicken salad?
Basic chicken salad is a combination of chicken and mayonnaise. In this recipe we add grapes for sweetness, nuts for crunch, and onion for additional depth of flavor.
What type of chicken for chicken salad?
I like to use chicken breast for our chicken salad recipe, if I have it on hand (I like to prep chicken ahead and freeze it for stuff like this), but if I don’t have it on hand any kind of chicken will work!
Leftover crispy chicken thighs are great, or even grab a rotisserie chicken from the market!
Chicken salad recipe variations
- Use apples instead of grapes
- Add a teaspoon or two of yellow curry powder for a kick
- Try different nuts or seeds instead of (or in addition to!) the almonds.
- Substitute mashed avocado for the mayonnaise.
- Toss in a few sprigs of fresh dill.
- Drizzle some of our honey mustard recipe over top.
Storage and leftovers
How many days can you keep homemade chicken salad?
A chicken salad recipe will last in the refrigerator for about three days. Make sure you are using fresh ingredients so it lasts, and tastes great, for as long as possible.
Tips and tricks
✅ Try swapping some of the mayo for plain Greek yogurt to reduce calories and increase protein.
✅ I find this recipe is delicious right after being made, but even better when refrigerated overnight so the flavors can marry.
✅ Add different spice blends like curry powder, taco seasoning, or even ranch seasoning!
Frequently asked questions
Is chicken salad good for you?
Chicken salad is good for you! It is made with lean protein in the form of chicken breast, fiber and antioxidant filled grapes and onions, and almonds with healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium and vitamin E!
Chicken salad recipe with grapes?
The first time I had chicken salad with grapes was at a new friends house several years ago, and I’ll admit now that I turned my nose up to the stuff. Silly, silly me.
I finally relented and tried some after way too much coaxing and have been a wholehearted convert ever since. (If you’re not into grapes, apples are a delicious alternative!)
What to enjoy with your chicken salad recipe (serving suggestions)
Enjoy your homemade fritters with other summer favorites like zucchini fritters and millionaire pie. We also love it with a side of air fryer french fries and carrot cake sheet cake for dessert!
More yummy summer salads
- Macaroni salad
- Broccoli salad
- Pasta salad with tuna and cheese
- Egg salad
- Broccoli slaw
- Tuna salad stuffed tomatoes
- Smoked salmon dip
- See all our easy salad recipes!
Other awesome chicken recipes
- Cheez-it chicken recipe
- Air fryer chicken thighs
- Buffalo chicken stuffed shells
- Mississippi chicken
- Cream cheese chicken chili
- Rotisserie Chicken Soup Recipe
- Cashew chicken
- Buffalo Chicken Salad Recipe
- See all our easy chicken recipes!
Tools we love
- Santoku knife – My favorite knife for cutting vegetables! This knife is the perfect size and shape, handles great, and is super reasonably priced. Also, I just love that it’s fun and colorful!
- End grain cutting board – This is my absolute favorite cutting board and the one that I get the most compliments on. And p.s. I have a lot of cutting boards. It really is absolutely stunning, and knows how to take a beating. We use it every single day!
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How to make a Chicken Salad Recipe
Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast chopped
- 1½ tablespoons red onion finely diced
- ½ cup seedless red grapes quartered
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- 2 -3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare and chop chicken breast. Dice red onion and quarter grapes.
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined, add salt and pepper to taste.*
- Serve on bread, a wrap, over lettuce, or straight from the bowl!
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Chicken Salad Recipe
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If you love chicken, you’ll also want to try our delicious honey mustard chicken recipe next!
This post was originally sponsored by Frigidaire. First published 03.2012, 4.27.17, 8-15-18
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You should try Brianne's Poppy Seed Dressing on the chicken salad instead of mayo! 🙂 YUM!!!
i like the grapes/almonds, but i think i'd throw in some apples/celery to the mix, as well, just because. and what do you think about tarragon as a spice in this salad? i'm tempted ….
i bet it would be delicious! let us know if you try 🙂
This is the most perfect chicken salad recipe!
I love chicken salad with grapes! I can totally see why this disappears quickly at your house!
I love all the variety of flavors in this salad and how chunky it is. I made it for dinner last night on garlic Texas toast, and it was AH-mazing.
The combination of juicy fruit and crunchy nuts makes it so refreshing and satisfying.
This chicken salad recipe was so fresh and flavorful! I loved the crunch from the celery and the sweetness of the grapes. It was perfect for a quick lunch, and I’ll definitely be making it regularly.
Very good and simple chicken salad recipe! Served on a croissant with lettuce.
Chicken Salad is always so refreshing any time during the year!
Our favorite – When i saw your recipe I knew i had to make it, so delicious!