Name: Cold Chicken Salad with Grapes
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: ⅔ cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons sour cream; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar; Salt (to taste); Black pepper (to taste); 3 ½ cups rotisserie chicken; 3 celery ribs (thinly sliced); ⅔ cup red grapes (halved); ½ cup pecans (chopped); ½ medium red onion (finely diced); 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley (optional)

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This easy chicken salad with grapes is creamy, crunchy, and packed with sweet and savory flavor. It makes the perfect summer lunch recipe.

Wooden spoon holding chicken salad with grapes, pecans, celery, and parsley.

If you ask me, cold chicken salad is one of the easiest summer meals you can make. It has the perfect amount of salty and sweet, and the texture is a little creamy and a bit crunchy.

I use rotisserie chicken to cut back on prep time, but you can use any pre-cooked chicken that you like. Sometimes I’ll use chicken cooked in the crock pot or leftover baked chicken breasts.

Then, I add in some celery, pecans, and sweet grapes. Everything gets tossed in a creamy mayo dressing.

It only takes about 15 minutes to make a big batch and have easy lunches for days! From there you can pile it onto sandwich bread, serve it inside leafy romaine, or scoop it up with your favorite crackers.

Tips for the Best Cold Chicken Salad

Let it rest. If you’re able, let the salad chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. It gives the flavors a change to meld.

Use rotisserie chicken. I love to use rotisserie chicken. It’s easy and keeps the chicken salad from drying out.

Add the salt last. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing then add the salt. Add as much or as little as you like.

How to Make Chicken Salad with Grapes

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar. Taste, then add a little salt and pepper.

Keep in mind the rotisserie chicken is seasoned, so go light to start.

Mayonnaise, yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a white mixing bowl.

Creamy dressing mixed together in a white bowl.

Add the shredded chicken, celery, grapes, pecans, onion, and parsley. Stir to combine, and make sure the ingredients are well coated in dressing.

The salad is technically ready to serve. It’s even better if you have time to cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour for flavors to blend.

Serve with toast, croissants, brioche buns, crackers, or lettuce.

Shredded chicken, grapes, celery, pecans, and red onion arranged in a bowl.

Chicken salad ingredients folded together with creamy dressing.

Easy Ingredient Swaps

Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is my favorite! You can use any pre-cooked chicken that you like (slow cooker chicken breasts, baked chicken thighs, stove top cutlets, etc.). The photos actually show shredded baked chicken.
Grapes: Swap the grapes for dried cranberries, apples, or dried cherries. It will cut down on the sweetness.
Mayonnaise and sour cream: Use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. If you prefer the flavor of Miracle Whip, use it instead of mayo.

How to Store Leftovers

Store any leftover chicken salad in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.