This chicken salad with grapes and pecans livens up the classic with a few delicious add-ins. It is perfect for making ahead and eating all week!
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Chicken salad has long been one of my go-to lunches. It is incredibly versatile and makes for a delicious sandwich or a filling meal over greens, and it is perfect for days when I need lunch on the go.
This chicken salad with grapes and pecans is my all-time favorite version of classic chicken salad. It’s not too heavy on the mayo, meaning we avoid the soggy, flavorless salad you so often get when you order out to eat, and we add a good bit of dijon mustard that lends some tanginess and tons of flavor. Dill gives the chicken salad a nice, fresh flavor while the grapes add a hint of sweetness and the pecans and celery add crunch. Every bite of this chicken salad gives you something new to love!
If you’re looking for another delicious lunch recipe, be sure to check out this high protein bean salad!
Ingredients for Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans
Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious chicken salad!
- Chicken – the main ingredient, of course, is chicken! You can either cook up a few chicken breasts, grab a rotisserie chicken, or use up any leftover chicken you have lying around to make this chicken salad. We find that white meat works best here.
- Mayo – mayo is what binds this chicken salad together. We went lighter on the mayo for this recipe so you can still taste all of the flavors in the salad. If you’d like to make your own mayo (it’s so easy and the flavor is richer and even more delicious than store-bought), be sure to check out our homemade mayo recipe. If you’re a mayo-hater though, feel free to substitute Greek yogurt in its place!
- Dijon Mustard – this is the secret ingredient to making this chicken salad great. First, the use of dijon mustard allows you to use less mayo, and it adds a ton of flavor that separates it from your typical chicken salad recipe.
- Grapes – Red grapes help add just the right touch of sweetness to the recipe.
- Pecans – pecans give the chicken salad a bit of crunch and lend a nice toasted flavor.
- Celery – celery provides a bit of freshness and crunch to the salad.
- Dill – dill is a classic component of chicken salad for good reason! It helps give this recipe its classic flavor and freshens up the salad a bit.
How to Make
Making chicken salad truly couldn’t be any easier! Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Shred or cube the chicken. First, you’ll want to shred or cube the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Chop the grapes and celery. Next, you’ll cut the grapes in half and slice the celery.
- Add everything to a bowl and mix it up. Once you’ve got your prep work done, you’ll simply add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix it together. Once it is mixed, taste the chicken salad for seasoning and add anything that is needed.
- Serve or store for later. From here, you can either serve immediately or store the chicken salad in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Variations To Chicken Salad With Grapes
Though this recipe is dynamite as written, there are several variations you can make to switch it up. Here are a few:
- Swap the Grapes for Dried Cherries or Cranberries – if dried cranberries or cherries are more your thing, feel free to swap them in for the grapes!
- Swap the Grapes for Apple – if you love apples more than grapes, swap in chopped apple (your favorite variety) in for the grapes. They both lend a really yummy crunch to the salad.
- Swap the Nuts – if you don’t like pecans, swap them for walnuts or almonds!
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends where you’re storing it! If you’re storing it in the refrigerator (which is, of course, the very best option), it’ll last for 4-5 days. If you’re serving it at a party and it’s sitting out at room temperature, we recommend not letting it sit for more than 2 hours. If you’re enjoying chicken salad at a picnic outside, we recommend bringing a cooler to keep outside heat off of your chicken salad for a long period of time.
We’d plan for about 4-8 ounces (or 1/4-1/2 pound) of chicken per person, so if you’re looking to serve chicken salad to 8 people, you’ll need about 2-4 pounds of chicken (depending on what else you’re serving).
We love serving chicken salad alongside mixed greens or a simple arugula salad, crackers, or plantain chips!
You can serve this chicken salad with grapes and pecans any way you’d like! When I am meal-prepping lunches for the week, I tend to prefer serving my chicken salad over mixed greens for a healthy veggie boost. However, you can also make a sandwich, and if you want to really take it to the next level, add on some avocado and swiss cheese. This chicken salad is also great eaten on its own or with crackers for a picnic!
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Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded chicken either from a rotisserie chicken or 1 ½ pounds cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- ½ cup halved red grapes
- ½ cup chopped raw pecans
- 2/3 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Mixed greens for serving
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until fully combined. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Spoon over mixed greens and eat immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
This was a great and satisfying lunch! I liked the mix of the tangy mustard with the sweet grapes. I substituted the mayo with Greek yogurt which really allowed the mustard flavor to stand out.
Great sub, Kathleen! We’re glad you love it! Thanks for sharing this with us!
This a super balanced chicken salad in texture & flavor – creamy, crunchy, tangy, and sweet. I didn’t have any poppy seeds, so I threw in some chia seeds to maintain the texture.
We’re so glad you love it, Julie!! It’s a favorite around my house, for sure!
Love this recipe! My 10year old daughter was VERY skeptical and declared, “I love this! I could eat it every day!” Thanks Fed and Fit for another great recipe!!
SO awesome! Thanks for sharing this with us, Marci!
Love this recipe! My 10year old daughter was VERY skeptical! Upon eating she declared, “I love this! I could eat it every day!!” Thanks again Fed and Fit for another winner!!
This recipe is quick and best of all great for beginners to whip up. It truly is so easy to whip. We love to have it during the warmer months because it is refreshing a cool. I highly recommend you give it a shot!
Thanks, Natalie!!! We love it too!!
A great take on traditional chicken salad! The dill really adds a nice flavor. I had it with crackers and on a salad and both were delicious. My boyfriend liked it on a sandwich too! Thanks for another winning recipe 🙂
We’re so glad you guys enjoyed this recipe, Mandy!!! Thanks for sharing!
This was just YUM. Easy to make and the leftovers are even better the next day. I told my toddlers that the poppy seeds were sprinkles and they GOBBLED it right up! 🙂
So funny!!! We’re glad your family loves this recipe, Erin! Thanks for sharing!
LOVE this recipe. Super easy to prep for sandwiches during the week. My postpartum body is craving chicken salad constantly, and this is by far one of my favorites to gobble down.
Mine too!! Congratulations on your newest addition, Hanna!
I made this chicken salad for meal prep this week!! It’s so flavorful and I’m so excited to eat it all week!
You’re going to look forward to lunch every day, Cynthia!!! Enjoy!
This recipe was easy to make and sub out a few things based on my preferences. I love the added crunch of pecans and the sweetness of the grapes.
Wahoo! We’re glad you’re enjoying this recipe, Nikki!
Making this for my lunches for the week! Can’t wait I love the combination of ingredients.
You’re going to LOVE it!! Enjoy, LeAnna!
Great recipe! It has everything I want: sweetness from the grapes, crunch from the pecans, creamy yummy dresssing, and protein! I subbed fennel for the celery (which I don’t care for), but that’s what makes recipes like this so great. You can easily swap for ingredients you already have on hand if you’re missing something. No grapes? Use an apple or dried fruit? No pecans? Use walnuts! And if you prep a batch ahead of time you have days of easy lunches!
So true! Great swap! We’re glad you love it, Amy!
So yummy, the dill helps to cut the sweetness from the grapes. The perfect addition to the giant bag of fresh lettuce from the farmers market this week!
So glad you love it, Danielle!! Thanks for sharing!
Loved this Chicken Salad! My girls and I made it this morning for tonight’s dinner because we planned to be outside all day enjoying the weather. We just ate it and we devoured it 🙂 We omitted the pecans because of an allergy, but the celery still gave it plenty of crunch. I personally loved the Dijon which gave the salad a slight tangy twist. We will be making this all summer long!
Such a great idea! So glad that it was quick and easy so that you all could get outside! Thank you for sharing this with us, Erica!
Great chicken salad! Loved eating this over some greens.
Me too! So yummy! So glad you enjoyed it, Colleen!