Gluten-free Chicken Salad with Grapes is a creamy chicken salad recipe made with white meat chicken, juicy red grapes, and a crunchy almond topping. This recipe is perfect for sandwiches and wraps.
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Why You'll Love This Salad
This is a great recipe for using up leftover chicken or a store-bought rotisserie. I like using white meat for chicken salad and saving the dark meat for dinner, it works out perfectly!
The grapes add little flavor bombs and a touch of sweetness to the creamy chicken salad. Grated onion adds a little more sugar and a lot of flavor, while the celery and almonds give it a little crunch.
You can make it ahead and keep it in the fridge for a few days. Serve it over lettuce, in a wrap, or stuff a pita for a quick lunch or easy dinner.
Ingredients
I have a poached chicken recipe that makes soft chicken breasts—perfect for chicken salad.
- Cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Mayonnaise (or sour cream, plain yogurt, or mashed avocado)
- Celery
- Grated or finely chopped red or yellow onion
- Dijon or yellow mustard
- Red seedless grapes, quartered
- Fresh dill
- Fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Sliced almonds
Recipe For Sweet Chicken Salad
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo and mustard. Gently fold in the chicken, celery, red onion, parsley, and dill with a rubber spatula. Stir in grapes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover chicken salad with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours to allow flavors to blend.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
- Top with sliced almonds.
How To Grate An Onion
- Grating an onion gives this salad gives it a lot of flavor and you can barely see it.
- Start by peeling the onion and cutting off the root end. Leave the stem end on so you have something to hold.
- Grab a box grater and use the large holes. Carefully grate the onion, then toss the stem.
Watch your fingers as you get close. Those graters are sharp!
Substitute For Mayonnaise
In place of mayonnaise, try using sour cream or yogurt. I like to substitute mayo with thick Greek (10% fat) yogurt.
You can also use a mashed avocado instead of mayo. It's healthier and tastes great too!
How to Serve Chicken Salad
I like to make a big salad with leafy greens and fresh crunchy vegetables. I top the salad with a big scoop of chicken salad, about a half cup per salad.
You can also make lettuce wraps or a sandwich on your favorite bread or tortilla.
I enjoy my chicken salad (and tuna salad) on top of a bowl of romaine or butter lettuce with some crispy vegetables and a few Mary's Gone Crackers on the side.
Storage
To store leftovers, place the chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for three days. Do not freeze.
Suggested Sides
- Fruit salad
- Roasted potatoes
- Rice or cauliflower rice
- Crackers or pita chips
- Cucumber or tomato slices
- Coleslaw
- Macaroni salad
FAQ
This sweet chicken salad is full of flavor. Red grapes and grated onion make it a little sweet, and they taste great with the creamy dressing and chicken.
Chicken salad is good for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.
Instead of mayonnaise, try sour cream or thick Greek yogurt. A mashed ripe avocado can offer a creamy texture and mild flavor. For a nutty flavor, try hummus or tahini sauce.
White meat, like chicken breast, is best for chicken salad because it stays firm and has a mild flavor that works well with creamy dressings. Dark meat is more flavorful and juicy but can be a little too rich for this kind of salad.
Chicken Salad with Grapes and Dill
Ingredients
- 2 Cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 cups shredded chicken)
- ½ cup Mayonnaise (or sour cream, plain yogurt, or mashed avocado)
- ½ cup diced celery (1 stalk)
- 1 ½ tablespoons grated or finely diced red onion
- ½ teaspoon Dijon or yellow mustard
- ½ cup Red seedless grapes, quartered or halved
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- salt and pepper
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo and mustard. Gently fold in the chicken, celery, red onion, parsley, and dill with a rubber spatula. Stir in the grapes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover chicken salad with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours to allow flavors to blend.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
- Top with sliced almonds before serving.
Felice Kaufman says
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