Chicken Salad Recipe with Grapes and Walnuts

5 from 13 votes

Posted: 08/22/20

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Creamy, classic Chicken Salad loaded with grapes, apples, celery and walnuts makes the perfect sandwich on bread or croissants! This cold sandwich is great for an easy or make ahead lunch, dinner during the summer or great for potlucks and BBQs.

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Close up image of sandwich filled with chicken salad and lettuce. Grapes and another sandwich in background.

Chicken salad is such a classic and I’ve been making mine the same way for years because it’s seriously the BEST recipe!

Tender chicken, crunchy celery, apples, and pecans with juicy grapes and creamy dressing is the perfect filling for sandwiches or serve it as a side salad for potlucks and parties.

For the ultimate lunch, serve your chicken salad sandwiches with ice-cold glasses of lemonade with potato chips on the side! I would totally treat yourself to a homemade brownie for dessert, too. That’s what I would do!

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Why you will love this Chicken Salad with Grapes Recipe

You can use any kind of cooked chicken for chicken salad – make it easy with a store-bought rotisserie chicken or use leftover grilled or baked chicken!
It has the perfect amount of dressing! You are going to love the creamy mayo dressing with lemon.
It’s a great make-ahead salad for easy lunches and dinners. In fact, chicken salad tastes even better after it’s had a chance to chill in the fridge.
Serve it on sliced bread, buttery croissants, or serve it with a green salad for a light lunch. It’s so good!

Image showing all the ingredients to make Chicken Salad.

Ingredients for Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

Cooked chicken
Seedless red grapes
Diced red apples
Chopped celery
Chopped pecans
Mayonnaise
Lemon juice
Chopped parsley
Salt and peper

The great thing about this chicken salad recipe is that you can easily adjust to your tastes. You can leave things out or switch things up. It’s really flexible and forgiving!

What Is the Best Way To Cook Chicken For Chicken Salad with Grapes?

The easiest thing to do is poach the chicken for chicken salad. To poach chicken breasts, fill a saucepan with water so it will cover the chicken breast by least 2 inches. Bring water to a boil and place chicken breast in water. Cover saucepan with lid and bring the water back to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the stovetop immediately and set aside, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove chicken from water and shred.

Another option is to use shred rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken. If there is skin on the chicken make sure to remove the skin and discard.

White bowl with dressing for chicken salad before mixing.

White bowl with dressing for chicken salad after mixing.

How To Make Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

Once you’ve prepped your ingredients all you have to do is combine them all together in a big bowl.
Add the dressing and stir until everything is evenly coated. That’s it!
Chill the chicken salad for at least an hour before serving it. It’s so delicious when it’s nice and cold from the refrigerator.

Close up image showing chopped, chicken, grapes, celery, apples and nuts before mixing.

Bowl with chicken salad in it and dressing on top before mixing.

Chicken Grape Salad Tips and FAQs

I love to use red grapes in this recipe because they are delicious and also add a pop of color! You can substitute green grapes, too, or do a mix of both.
A lot of different kinds of nuts will work so if you don’t love pecans feel free to substitute chopped walnuts or almonds. They’re really good, too.
I love sweet red apples, but if you want a little more tartness substitute Granny Smith apples!
Make sure your chicken is cold when you mix it with the dressing. If it’s warm or hot it will break down the mayonnaise and your dressing will end up runny instead of creamy.
Speaking of chicken, you can use all white meat or use a mix of white and dark meat. You could even use leftover roast turkey to make this salad, too!

How Long Does Chicken Salad Last?

It will keep for up to three to five days in the refrigerator. Just keep it in an airtight container.

When I make it, I usually make it a day in advance so it’s nice and cold when I’m ready to serve it. It also gives the flavors a chance to mix together. Also, making it ahead is perfect for easy lunches!

When you serve it, don’t leave it out at room temperature for more than two hours. If it’s very warm or hot you will want to shorten that time. Since it’s a mayo-based salad it’s best to keep it chilled.

If you are serving it in warm weather, I always place the serving bowl inside a bigger bowl that is half full of ice to keep the mixture cold

How To Serve Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

Obviously, you can serve it as a sandwich – that’s my favorite way! I love it on whole-grain bread. Sometimes I toast the bread first.
I also love it on croissants like you would get a cafe. The combination of the buttery, flaky rolls, with the cold salad is so delicious.
Or, skip the bread and serve it on top of a bed of lettuce. I like a mix of lettuce like romaine, spinach, and shredded iceberg for lots of crunch! Add other veggies, like chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and radishes to make it even more filling.

What Is A Good Side For Chicken Salad Sandwiches?

Chips
Pickles
Fruit Salad
Side Salad
Macaroni Salad

Two Chicken Salad Sandwiches on a wood cutting board with grapes and bread in background.

More Cold Sandwich Recipes!

Want more amazing sandwich recipes? Be sure to check out these recipes, too:

Another favorite cold sandwich is my Egg Avocado Tuna Salad. It’s quick and easy to make!
My husband loves my Ham Salad – it’s perfect for sandwiches and a great way to use up leftover ham!
You can’t go wrong with a classic Egg Salad Sandwich! My version tastes just like a deviled egg – it’s so good.

MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE!

Did you try this chicken salad sandwich and love it? I’d love it if you’d leave a comment and give it a rating below.

If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!!

Meet Julie Evink

I'm here to help you win in the kitchen again! Life is Busy, Life is Crazy, but that doesn't mean you can't make your family dinner! Julie's goal is to provide you with easy, family, friendly recipes that use pantry staples. Dinnertime will be stress free again!