This Chicken Salad is creamy, fresh, and loaded with the best mix of textures—tender chicken, juicy grapes, crisp celery, red onion, and toasted pecans. We call it “fancy” Chicken Salad, but it’s truly easy, especially with leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken. Serve it in croissants, 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
Watch for the texture of the dressing and how finely I chop the onion and celery so every bite is balanced.
Chicken Salad
I’ve made and tasted more chicken salads than I can count, and after years of tweaking, this is the one I come back to. The dressing is creamy but still tastes fresh from the lemon and herbs, and the mix of sweet grapes, toasted pecans, crisp celery, and savory chicken makes every bite interesting. This is my go-to lunch salad on busy weekdays, and it never disappoints. And, my family loves it which makes me happy.
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 chicken 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 with green apple, bell pepper, or seeded diced cucumber.
- Grapes – Add sweet juiciness. Apples, pears, cranberries, or raisins also work.
- Pecans – Toast them for the best flavor. Swap with walnuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, or pepitas.
- Red onion – Finely chop it so it doesn’t overpower the salad. For a milder flavor, use sweet onion, green onion, or chives.
The Best Chicken Salad Dressing
This is similar to the dressing from my popular Broccoli Apple Salad. The mayo makes it creamy, sour cream lightens it up, lemon adds brightness, and dill gives it that fresh homemade flavor.
The dressing is creamy, tangy, and fresh from mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and dill. Sour cream lightens the dressing so it doesn’t taste heavy, while lemon and herbs make the salad taste bright. You can substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream.
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 cold cooked chicken, halve the grapes, and chop the celery and onion.
- Make Dressing – Stir together the dressing ingredients and add it to the salad to taste, tossing until evenly coated. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
This chicken salad is great for meal prep and tastes even better after chilling for 1 to 2 hours, which gives the flavors time to blend. The USDA recommends refrigerating leftovers within 2 hours. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
If serving with croissants, bread, crackers, or greens, keep those separate until serving so they don’t get soggy. I don’t recommend freezing chicken salad since the creamy dressing can separate and the celery loses its crunch.
How to Serve Chicken Salad
Just like with a classic Tuna Salad, this chicken salad 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 chicken salad 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 balanced salad recipe- not too heavy on the mayo and adaptable
With just a little chopping work, meal prep is done! I used most of the meat from a rotisserie chicken and didn’t roast the pecans. I love the mix of textures. I used about 3/4 nonfat Greek yogurt to mayo ratio in the dressing to keep it a little lighter. The lemon juice and fresh dill really brighten up the flavors!
Thanks for sharing! I made these for my lunch this week and they taste superb. Plus, they are easy to make. Will definitely make it again in the future
I’m glad to hear you loved it!
What a delightful chicken salad recipe! It’s actually the best I’ve ever had! I tried it on toasted flour tortillas and loved it!
That’s so great, Tracey! It sounds like you found a new keeper!
Outstanding chicken salad recipe! Everything tasted delicious tossed together in the creamy dressing. I used purple grapes since that’s what I had on hand. I’m a big fan of texture and it hit all the tastebuds beautifully with a perfect balance of crunchy and sweet. I served it with crackers!
I’m so glad to hear you loved it, Meg! Serving it with crackers is perfect.
Loved this recipe 💖 It was so easy and delicious. I subbed the pecans with pistachios and my husband loved it. Thank you.
Best chicken salad. It is perfection on toasted sourdough.
This is so delicious and refreshing for spring! I love the many textures, savory anndsweet flavors, and the herby tang of the dressing.
Great chicken salad. The main ingredients are what I normally use, but because my husband likes a sweet dressing (I don’t), the dressing for me made all the difference! I love the addition of the dill. And… my husband didn’t mind the lack of sugar because the grapes gave a nice pop of sweetness! This recipe was a win for both of us!
I had green grapes but red grapes would have made my recipe more eye appealing.
Love this recipe! Hearty, fresh, and healthy. I served it with crackers and it was a hit!
This is great with crackers! So glad to know you loved it.
This chicken salad is so tasty! I used rotisserie chicken and prepped it for a brunch party. I served with buttery croissants and any leftovers I had for lunch. It’s so flavorful with the fresh herbs and the texture is spot on. I love this recipe!
This is so good! I used leftover rotisserie chicken and it was a hit! We enjoyed this salad with crackers and a small salad. Absolute perfection!
It really is quite perfect! So glad to hear you loved it too.
I love this recipe. Everyone I shared it with raved about it and wanted the recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that it’s been a hit, Jeannie.
You have no idea how many times I have made this Chicken Salad! I also made it for a baby shower, only 4x the recipe! Oh my goodness, is it good! I made the chicken salad the day before the shower, and added walnuts right before the shower. What a hit it was! But it’s equally delicious made with some leftover rotisserie chicken, for a quick lunch anytime for yourself, or the family! WINNER! (I just entered your sweepstake contest with my big bowl of chicken salad for the shower!)
Hi Xenia! That’s so great to hear. It’s a popular one for parties for sure. I’m glad it was a hit. Thanks for sharing.
One of my favorite chicken salad recipes and ditto on the Dijon mustard. But if you want to take chicken salad to the next level, add fresh mint leaves to the finished dish and you’ll never go back!
Oh wow that does sound amazing and so fresh! Thanks for the tip, Perry!
I made this chicken salad recipe, and it is delicious. My husband loved it, and he is a very fussy eater. Whenever I make one of your recipes, he is always willing to try it, because every recipe is a winner!
Hi Mary! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for sharing.
Great recipe I added Dijon mustard yummy definitely a keeper!
This is the perfect chicken salad, savory with a touch of sweet and crunch!
Thank you
I’m so glad you loved it, Tricia!
I will enjoy it for when I make the chicken salad it just doesn’t taste right it taste blend like I don’t know what missing but I’ll try this one .