Chicken Salad with Grapes

Easy and hearty Chicken Salad with Grapes, pecans, celery, and a light and creamy dressing with one ingredient that makes this traditional chicken salad better than the rest!

For more easy salad recipes with chicken as the star, check out my posts for Greek Avocado Chicken Salad, Pina Colada Chicken Salad, and Lighter Apple Pecan Chicken Salad. 

When I’m in the mood for a sandwich sometimes I’m in the mood for more than just cold cuts and a square of cheese. Something fancier but not so fancy I have to actually spend time cooking the meal. You know what I mean? 

This Chicken Salad recipe checks all the boxes: easy, delicious, comforting, and works great on its own or between two pieces of bread or a croissant if you are craving that bit of fanciness I’m talking about. Maybe “fancy” isn’t the most perfect word…how about “different?” Different but easy. I’ll stop trying to explain what I mean now, I’m sure you get the idea. 

The best part about this chicken salad with grapes is that you only have to cube up leftover chicken or shred a rotisserie chicken and add a couple pantry staples to easily put together this recipe. It has all the right textures, a little crunch, a little bit of sweet, and creamy enough to stick together and not require another condiment but not so creamy your kids will gag. TMI? Maybe it’s just my kids. 

HOW DO YOU MAKE CHICKEN SALAD WITH GRAPES? 

This creamy chicken salad is a cinch to pull together. First, I make the dressing by stirring together the light mayo, nonfat Greek yogurt, seasonings, mustard, and honey. I give it a good, long stir to make sure it’s all combined. You could also put it into a blender if you like it really combined well. 

Next, shred up a rotisserie chicken or cube up already cooked chicken, chop 2 stalks of celery, chop the pecans, and halve the grapes. Mix all of these ingredients together, then pour over the dressing and mix it all together and serve! 

I like to serve mine on croissants as I mentioned, or you can use any bread you like really. Some other good options include sandwich rolls (I like the Hawaiian kind), bread, wraps, or bagels. Or, try making these in lettuce wraps or scoop a big serving in a bowl and eat it up if you are into the low- or no-carb thing. 

WHAT SIDES GO WITH CHICKEN SALAD WITH GRAPES?

For a well-rounded meal, I like to serve this chicken salad with one or two other dishes. Some of my favorites include: 

• Roasted Sweet Potatoes make a great side dish piled up high next to your shredded chicken salad sandwich. The warmth and sweetness of the sweet potatoes make a great complementary food to eat with the sandwiches.
   
• If you want a nice, warm, cheesy side to go along with your chicken salad, try my Cheesy Mashed Potatoes Casserole.
• Sometimes at picnics I’ll bring this healthy chicken salad and one of my sisters will make a Broccoli Apple Salad With Poppyseed Dressing. It’s fun to have a full plate of different kinds of “salads” whether sitting around outside at a picnic table or sitting in front of your fireplace on a checkered tablecloth having an indoor “picnic” with your kids. 
• A Berry Cheesecake Salad is a great side that I like to save for dessert. I could be serving my kids a giant chocolate cake, that’s how much they love, love, love this white bowl of fluff. 

WHAT IS A GOOD SUBSTITUTE FOR MAYO IN CHICKEN SALAD?

In this chicken salad, I like to use a combo of half light mayo and half nonfat Greek yogurt. But if you’re out of mayo, don’t like the taste of it, or prefer to use another ingredient, I recommend the following substitutions: 

1. All Greek yogurt. You can use all Greek yogurt instead of mayo if you prefer. It’ll be a bit on the tangier side but still delicious!
2. Sour cream. A nonfat or low-fat sour cream also works as a substitute for mayo and it will mix well together with the Greek yogurt. It will be tart but the grapes and honey can offset that tartness a bit. If your sour cream is too thick to stir together with the yogurt, you can thin it out a bit with a tablespoon of milk.

• Another kind of dip or dressing. If you really like a ranch flavor, you could use a bit of ranch dressing instead of mayo. Keep in mind you are not adding too much but the flavors might be a bit overpowering so if you are going this route, I would suggest taste-testing before adding in the garlic powder, pepper, and honey. It’s always easier to add more than it is to take out. Okay it’s impossible to take out spices once they are added!