About Chicken Salad with Grapes
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!
What do you put in a chicken salad?
The name of this recipe gives two of the main ingredients away (chicken and grapes), but you might be wondering – what else is in it? I’ve been raving about the taste, but what makes it taste so good?
I may be a little biased, but I think the great flavor of this chicken salad comes from two main parts:
1 – The dressing.
There’s a lot going on with the dressing in this recipe, but I promise, all of it is good. And by “good” I mean a delicate (yet not overpowering) blend of mayonnaise, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, honey, salt, and black pepper.
The best part about these ingredients is that you likely already have them in your pantry or fridge. And if you don’t, I highly recommend stocking up – they’re the staple for some of the best flavors!
2 – The poppy seeds.
I know poppy seeds aren’t for everyone, but in the case of this salad, they add just the right amount of crunch and taste to really kick it up a notch. I’m normally not a fan of poppy seeds but I loved them in this salad.
Plus, the black poppy seeds turned out to be a great edible decoration!
How many days can you keep homemade chicken salad?
When properly stored in a sealed container, this chicken salad should last anywhere from 3-5 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
If you’re leaving the chicken salad out for serving, limit the time at room temperature to 2 hours or less.
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. In their place is a healthy serving of celery, so this salad still has plenty of crunch. Also, omitting onions just means there’s one less flavor competing with the grapes and chicken. However, if you really can’t call it chicken salad without some onions, feel free to reduce the amount of celery 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, leftover rotisserie chicken, or canned chicken. I used canned chicken for the photos and the recipe video because it’s what I had on hand. An old friend of mine always likes us to keep a few cans in the house.
More great chicken recipes
Other delicious salad recipes
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!
Recipe Details
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
Instructions
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In a large bowl, add mayonnaise, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, honey, poppy seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until smooth.
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Add chicken, red grapes, celery, and pecans to bowl with sauce, then stir to coat.
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Serve chicken salad immediately on its own or with a bread of your choice.
This looks seriously delicious, I’m a huge chicken salad fan and this is going on my lunch menu soon!
This would work great in a lunchbox – it would pep up the chicken sandwich no end with that delicious dressing. Oh and I’m all for poppyseeds – they are a visual treat.
Made this today and it was so good. Thanks for the recipe.
I made a few changes to this just because. I added chopped green onions, and 1/2 C sour cream. I left out the pecans as I was making a large amount for a bridal shower and didn’t want anyone be with nut allergies to be affected. Love the addition of the Worcester sauce. My favorite!
Looks delish
Loved it I added some sweet onion and no nuts also added dried cranberries.
Made this for our Neighborhood Night Out potluck tonight. Only change I had to make was to substitute walnuts for the pecans because that’s what I had. I put the poppy seeds in the dressing. It is delicious. I am going to love the compliments I’m going to get!
Made it today- absolutely delicious
Great salad. The dressing is awesome. I used cashews.
This is seriously delicious! I toasted the pecans to intensify the flavor. It’s a home run.