This creamy chicken salad is fresh, easy, and loaded with texture in every bite. It starts with a classic chicken salad base of tender chicken, crisp celery, red onion, and a simple creamy dressing, then gets a little extra sweetness and crunch from juicy grapes and toasted pecans. Serve it in croissants, sandwiches, lettuce cups, over greens, or with crackers for a quick lunch, light dinner, or meal prep.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Another winner. I was looking for a summer dinner, this was perfect. I served it on a bed of spinach & lettuce. My husband had 2 servings. It was perfect the next day for lunch, we made into sandwiches. Thank you for sharing!!” – Cindy ★★★★★
Chicken Salad Video
This is my go-to creamy chicken salad recipe with a classic base of tender chicken, celery, onion, and a simple creamy dressing. Grapes and toasted pecans make it extra special, but they’re easy to leave out if you prefer a more traditional chicken salad. It’s perfect for sandwiches, croissants, lettuce cups, crackers, or meal prep.
Chicken Salad
I’ve tested so many chicken salads over the years, and this is the one my family always comes back to. We call it our “fancy” chicken salad because of the grapes and toasted pecans, but the base is simple, creamy, and classic. It’s easy to make ahead, pairs well with leftover Air Fryer Whole Chicken or rotisserie chicken, and always disappears fast.
If you love protein-packed salads, try my Chicken Avocado Salad, Autumn Chopped Chicken Salad, Cobb Salad, and Tuna Salad next.
Chicken Salad Ingredients
The main ingredients in this salad are simple, but each one adds flavor, texture, or freshness. There are plenty of easy swaps, so you can use what you have on hand.
- Chicken – Use 2 cooked and chilled chicken breasts, roast chicken, or rotisserie chicken. Dark or light meat chicken works. We prefer diced chicken for the best texture.
- Celery – Adds fresh crunch. If you don’t love celery, swap it with green apple, bell pepper, or seeded diced cucumber.
- Grapes – These add a sweet juiciness, making this feel like a classic chicken salad with grapes. Apples, pears, cranberries, or raisins also work.
- Pecans – Toast them for the best flavor. I love chicken salad with pecans, but walnuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, or pepitas also work.
- Red onion – Finely chop it so it doesn’t overpower the salad. For a milder flavor, use sweet onion, green onion, or chives.
My Go-to Chicken Salad Dressing
This is similar to the dressing from my popular Broccoli Apple Salad. It’s creamy, tangy, and fresh with mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and dill. Mayo gives it richness, sour cream keeps it from tasting heavy, and lemon brightens the whole salad. You can use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for a lighter option.
Tips for the Best Chicken Salad
- Start with chilled chicken – Cold chicken holds the creamy dressing better. If the chicken is still warm, the dressing can loosen and make the salad watery.
- Dice the chicken instead of shredding it – I prefer diced chicken for this recipe because it gives the salad the best texture and keeps every bite hearty and fresh.
- Add the dressing to taste – Start with most of the dressing, toss, then add more if needed. Rotisserie chicken can be softer and more moist, while chicken breast can be a little drier.
- Toast the pecans – It only takes a few minutes, but it makes them crunchier and brings out their nutty flavor.
How to Make Chicken Salad
This easy chicken salad comes together so fast in one bowl, which is why it’s the ideal lunch option.
- Toast pecans in a dry skillet until fragrant, then cool and chop.
- Dice chilled cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. I prefer diced chicken over shredded chicken here because it gives the salad a better texture and keeps it from turning mushy. Halve the grapes, and chop the celery and onion.
- Make Dressing – Stir together the dressing ingredients and add it gradually to the salad, depending on how moist your chicken is. Gently stir to coat and serve right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.
To Serve
Just like with a classic Tuna Salad, this can be served as a side salad, as meal prep for lunchboxes or as a main course:
- Over Mixed Greens or in Lettuce Cups for a lighter, gluten-free option.
- Chicken Salad Sandwiches – Try on Croissants, Pita Bread, or Sourdough Bread.
- Crackers for a quick snack – Sourdough Crackers, Ritz or Wheat Thins.
This creamy Chicken Salad is one of those easy lunch recipes you’ll want to keep on repeat. If you try a fun add-in or serving idea, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken Salad Ingredients:
- 1 lb cooked chicken breast meat, 4 cups diced*
- 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
- 1 cup celery, (from 2-3 sticks celery), cut in half lengthwise then sliced
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped (1/2 medium red onion)
- 1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
Chicken Salad Dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp dill, chives, or parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes, tossing frequently, until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a cutting board, cool, then coarsely chop.
- Combine Salad Ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, combine diced chicken, halved grapes, sliced celery, chopped onion, and cooled pecans.
- Make the Dressing – In a small bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients and stir to combine. Add the dressing to taste and stir until evenly coated. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for 1–2 hours for the best flavor.
Notes
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days, depending on how fresh the cooked chicken was when you started. Keep chilled until serving and don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Freezing: Freezing is not recommended since the creamy dressing can separate and the crunchy ingredients soften.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Easy Lunch Ideas
- Taco Salad
- Egg Salad
- Cheeseburger Sliders
- Reuben Sandwich
- Philly Cheesesteak
- Chickpea Salad
- Avocado Chicken Salad
- Sloppy Joes
- Ground Beef Tacos
- Italian Sandwich Recipe
Great Chicken Salad! I enjoyed the grapes in the mixture and added sugared pecans.
The best additions, that sounds wonderful!
This was so Yummy! I added a little curry powder to the mixture.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Micahela.
I skipped the pecans but still yummy! I tried it with grapes and also some with apples.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Eva.
Thanks for the recipe it was the best chicken salad recipe I have ever made I don’t like grapes in my salad, this was so good with the grapes. I took it to my card group and they loved it. They said it was the best they have tasted.
Thank you for trying out this recipe. I’m happy to know that you enjoyed the Chickan Salad a lot!
Best chicken salad recipe! I love all the flavors and combination.
Yummy salad. It was pretty simple. I enjoyed the flavor of the dressing. Thank you for the recipe.
Delicious!! This is now my go to chicken salad – I am hosting a father’s day brunch and this will definitely be on the menu!! Thank you so much!
You’re very welcome, Liz! So glad to hear you loved it.
Loved the dressing to this salad! Very refreshing with the ingredients accentuating the crunch.
Made a great broth cooking the chicken for this recipe! Chicken tender and juicy .. and had good chicken soup as a bonus . Will make on repeat !
My wife and I enjoyed chicken sandwiches on fresh Croissants made with this delicious salad while we visited a bluegrass festival this week
So delicious and so much better than store-bought chicken salad. I loved the pecans and grapes in there too. I added greek yoghurt instead of sour cream, super yummy. Also great in wraps for lunches during the week. Thanks for a great recipe. This is a keeper.
You’re very welcome! So glad you loved it.
Quick and easy! Love this type of salad and much more affordable than buying premade at the grocery store! Thanks!
You’re welcome! I agree, homemade is better and much more affordable!