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Updated on Sep 28, 2023
This Chicken Salad Recipe is healthy, flavorful and easy to make with grapes, celery and a simple dressing. It makes the best chicken salad sandwiches!
Looking for more easy lunch ideas? Try these recipes for Egg Salad and Tuna Salad next.
Kristine, thank you so much for this recipe! I love chicken salad but wanted something without mayo. This is perfect thank you for sharing! This was delicious, my whole family enjoyed it!
Ashleym
Best Chicken Salad Recipe
This chicken salad recipe is a tried-and-true favorite that’s also become a reader favorite! It’s fresh, light and healthy and my go-to recipe for using up leftover chicken.
Why You’ll Love this Chicken Salad Recipe
- Quick and Easy. This recipe takes just minutes to make. Use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken to save time.
- Delicious! This chicken salad has the best combination of flavors and textures. There’s sweet, savory, creamy and crunchy!
- Perfect for Meal Prep. When your days are busy, it can be hard to find the time to prepare lunch. That’s why I like recipes that I can prep once and then eat for a couple of days. This chicken salad keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days.
- Versatile. Serve the chicken salad on bread or a croissant, over a bed of lettuce, or in a tortilla wrap or lettuce wraps. I often add avocado – it’s so good!
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make this simple chicken salad you will need:
- Shredded or Chopped Cooked Chicken: You can use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken. When I don’t have leftover chicken I like to make quick Instant Pot shredded chicken to use in this recipe. I follow these steps for how to shred chicken easily. Or you can poach chicken breasts on the stove.
- Plain Greek Yogurt or Mayo: Greek yogurt is thick and creamy, and it makes a great healthy substitute for mayonnaise in this chicken salad recipe. You can use full fat, 2% or nonfat Greek yogurt. Be sure to use plain (not flavored) yogurt. Of course, you can use mayo in this recipe if you prefer.
- Seasonings: This recipe uses garlic powder, salt and black pepper. I find that you don’t need to add too much seasoning because there are lots of flavors going on in this chicken salad. You can try adding a splash of lemon juice, a squeeze of Dijon mustard, or some chopped fresh herbs if you want.
- Celery: I love the crunch that celery adds to this chicken salad. Chop the celery into small pieces so that it doesn’t overwhelm the salad.
- Nuts: Pecans, walnuts, and sliced almonds all work well in this recipe. If you have a few minutes, toasting the nuts in a skillet on the stove will add a lot of flavor.
- Grapes: Chicken salad with grapes is a classic and I love the sweetness that grapes add to this salad. You can also try mixing in chopped apple, dried cranberries or dried cherries.
- Red Onion: Sweet-spicy red onion adds a pop of flavor. If you don’t care for raw onion you can leave it out.
How to Make Chicken Salad
- To make this chicken salad, start by making the chicken salad dressing. I usually make the dressing in a large bowl and then add the other ingredients to that same bowl. Stir together the plain Greek yogurt, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Then, add the rest of the salad ingredients to the bowl and stir everything together. Taste the chicken salad and add more seasoning if needed.
- Serve the chicken salad on bread or croissants as a sandwich, or on top of a green salad.
Recipe Tips
- Either chill the cooked chicken before you make the salad or chill the chicken salad mixture before serving. Chilling the salad for an hour or two before serving also helps the flavors to meld together.
- Try adding different mix-ins to your chicken salad: different kinds of nuts, grapes, apples, dried cranberries, dried cherries, avocado, chopped green onion, red onion or fresh herbs.
- Cook your chicken ahead of time so that you can make this recipe quickly. Try Instant Pot Shredded Chicken or Crockpot Shredded Chicken. I often make this recipe with leftover Instant Pot Whole Chicken.
- Canned chicken also works in this recipe.
- For a low carb meal, serve chicken salad in lettuce wraps, on top of a spinach salad, or stuffed in avocado halves.
How to Store
Chicken salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, as long as you made it with chicken cooked that same day. Cooked chicken will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator, so go by the date when your chicken was cooked to figure out how long you can store your chicken salad in the fridge.
Try one of these delicious chicken breast recipes next.
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4.91 from 21 ratings
Easy Chicken Salad Recipe
Servings: 7 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Total Time: 15 minutes mins
This easy chicken salad recipe with grapes and pecans makes the best chicken salad sandwiches! I've been making this healthy chicken salad recipe for years. It's perfect for using up leftover chicken, or make it with rotisserie chicken or shredded cooked chicken breast.
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Ingredients
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, or mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped pecans, or walnuts or sliced almonds, toasted if desired
- ½ cup quartered grapes*
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion, optional
- bread, croissants or lettuce, for serving
Instructions
In a large bowl, stir together the plain Greek yogurt, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Add the cooked chicken, celery, nuts, grapes and red onion (if using). Stir until well combined.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Serve the chicken salad as a sandwich on bread or a croissant, over a bed of lettuce, or in a tortilla wrap or lettuce wraps.
Notes
- Chopped apple is a delicious substitute for the grapes. Or try dried cranberries or dried cherries.
- Make Ahead: Store chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days (if made with chicken cooked that same day).
Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 195kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Sodium: 151mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Lunch
Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.
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posted by Kristine Rosenblatt on Jul 3, 2023 (last updated Sep 28, 2023)
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