"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!"
The whole world is about to head into the mecca that is seasonal food, and yet here I am, bringing you a recipe classic like chicken salad.
Well, it’s sort of a classic, in that it has “chicken” and it’s in a “salad” with a bunch of other stuff. But trust me, this isn’t your normal, every day, run-of-the-mill chicken salad. This isn’t the savory recipe that every elder in your family seems to know by heart.
Oh no, this recipe is a little bit different. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it unique, since I’m sure I’m not the first person to close their eyes and add random things measure out all of these ingredients together, but still, it’s… different.It’s not what you normally think of when you hear chicken salad.
And honestly, that’s what I love most about it.
Because, this recipe, it’s not savory… it’s sweet.
And there are pecans. And poppy seeds.
Oh, and the grapes. The grapes make this salad as good as it is.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I probably love this recipe so much because I’m a sucker for mixing sweet and savory flavors. Savory can sometimes seem a little boring to me, so being able to mix things up with something as festive as grapes just bring out so many new possibilities.
It makes me wonder what other savory flavors I can pair it with and see how they compliment each other.
I ended up testing this chicken salad on a standard bun, and let me tell you, it was amazing. It hit the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and crunchy!
notes & tips for this chicken salad with grapes:
- Many classic chicken salad recipes include chopped onions, but for this recipe, I didn’t add them. There’s a healthy serving of celery instead to add a little crunch. I figured I didn’t want too many competing flavors so that the grapes and chicken could shine through. However, if you really can’t call it chicken salad without some onions, feel free to reduce the amount of celery used to 1/2 cup so that you can add 1/2 cup chopped onion of your choice.
- Another great perk of this recipe is that it can be made with freshly cooked chicken, left over rotisserie chicken, or canned chicken. I used canned chicken for the photos and the recipe video because it’s what I had on hand. The Husband always likes us to keep a few cans in the house.
- If you like the idea of combining sweet and savory flavors, be sure to check out Strawberry Caprese Chicken Salad, Cranberry and Pistachio Baked Brie, Frog Eye Salad, New England Baked Turkey and Chutney, Breakfast Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, Crock Pot Sweet Pulled Pork, Cinnamon Roll Wrapped Sausages, Maple Bacon Cornbread Muffins, Raspberry and Walnut Baked Brie, Grilled BBQ Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa, and Grilled Honey Balsamic Chicken.
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!
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch black pepper to taste
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 1/2 cup chicken cooked and shredded or cut into cubes
- 1 cup red grapes cut in half
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
In a large bowl, add mayonnaise, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, honey, poppy seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until smooth.
Add chicken, red grapes, celery, and pecans to bowl with sauce, then stir to coat.
Serve chicken salad immediately on its own or with a bread of your choice.
