Chicken Salad with Grapes

This sweeter twist on chicken salad with grapes, pecans, celery, poppy seeds, and hints of lemon and honey is perfect as a side dish or on a sandwich!

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About Chicken Salad with Grapes

The only thing better than a classic recipe is a classic recipe with some extra flavor.

And that, my friends, is exactly what this recipe is: it’s a classic chicken salad… with grapes.

And honestly, that’s what I love most about it.

Because, this recipe, it’s not just savory… it’s sweet and savory.

And there are pecans. And poppy seeds.

Oh, and the grapes. The grapes make this salad as good as it is.

It’s the sweet and savory combination laced with crunchy goodness that is guaranteed to make this your new go-to recipe for delicious chicken salad.

What’s in chicken salad?

• Mayonnaise – To create the creamy base of this recipe. You could potentially use miracle whip, too, but I’ve personally never tried it with this recipe.
• Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice – For adding tartness and zing.
• Honey – Helps soften the flavors and compliments the sweetness of the grapes. Feel free to adjust the honey to your liking.
• Salt and pepper – Classic spices for any dish.
• Poppy seeds – Adds a delicious crunch and kicks the flavor up a notch. Plus, black poppy seeds help make salads like this look interesting and pretty.
• Chicken – The namesake of this recipe.
• Grapes – The other key ingredient to this recipe. Grapes are not a traditional addition to chicken salad but they provide great texture and bursts of sweet flavor. However, you can skip the grapes if you’d like.
• Celery and pecans – For more crunch, texture, and complimenting fillers.

What type of chicken should you use?

This recipe can be made with freshly cooked chicken (grilled, boiled, baked, etc), leftover rotisserie chicken, or canned chicken. I’ve tried all three and it’s been delicious every time.

How long can chicken salad be left out?

No matter the situation or circumstance, you never want to leave chicken sitting out for too long. This is especially important for multiple-serving dishes like a salad, as they are a popular party food and are easily forgotten on counters.

For most foods, the general rule of thumb is that a perishable item should not be in the “danger zone” for more than two hours. And by “danger zone”, this is usually at or just above room temperature. This time may vary depending on the temperature of the room.

Since this salad will be served cold, you “should” have a solid one hour (and up to two hours) before you need to pack it up (depending on other factors, such as the temperature of the room, etc). However, be sure to still check on the salad every now and then and use your best judgment. When it comes to chicken, most guests will appreciate the peace of mind it gives them if you refrigerate the salad after one hour.

How long is chicken salad good for?

When stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, this salad should last up to three to five days.

Can you freeze chicken salad?

Bad news here, guys. Due to the mayonnaise in this salad, I can’t recommend freezing it. Mayonnaise is an emulsion, and the consistency of an emulsion will completely break down during the freezing process. The flavor will remain the same but the texture will change in a way that many may feel is off-putting.

For best results, try to enjoy this salad when it’s freshly made.

notes & tips for this chicken salad with grapes

• Many classic chicken salad recipes include chopped onions, but this recipe doesn’t. In the place of onions is a double serving of celery, so there’s still plenty of vegetable crunch to be had. Also, omitting onions just means there’s one less flavor competing with the grapes and chicken. However, if you feel you can’t call it chicken salad without onions, feel free to reduce the amount of celery to 1/2 cup so that you can add 1/2 cup of chopped onions.

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How to make chicken salad

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – Add mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, honey, poppy seeds, plus salt and pepper to taste to a large bowl. Stir until smooth.

Step 2 – Add chicken, grapes, celery, and peans, then toss to coat.

Step 3 – Serve and enjoy!