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Sweet, creamy, and crunchy, this Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts is the perfect lunch or light dinner. Greek yogurt in place of mayo keeps it creamy with a tangy kick from Dijon mustard. The balanced flavors and textures make it a chicken salad everyone will want to scoop onto sandwiches, wraps, or salads!
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: No-cook
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts is My Favorite!
What is the best thing to do with leftover chicken? While I have lots of ideas for leftover chicken recipes, the tried and true go-to for many people is a basic chicken salad recipe. And while this one isn’t exactly basic, it’s the one I make the most.
Whether you’re using leftovers from Rosemary Balsamic Roast Chicken, grabbing a rotisserie chicken from the store, or you’ve made your own Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken, chicken salad with grapes and walnuts is always a win. It’s quick to mix up, great for meal prep, and full of delicious texture and flavor. Here’s why it has become my go-to…
- Creamy and tangy. Greek yogurt gives it that smooth texture with a little extra zip from Dijon mustard.
- Sweet and crunchy. Juicy grapes and chopped walnuts bring balance and crunch.
- Quick and easy. Made in minutes with just a handful of ingredients.
- Versatile. Serve it in a sandwich, wrap, lettuce cups, or over a salad.
Recipe Ingredients
Many of the ingredients for chicken salad with grapes and walnuts are items you may already have on hand in your pantry and refrigerator. Here, I’ll give you a brief overview, but don’t miss my tips and serving suggestions below. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full amounts and detailed directions.
- Greek yogurt: Be sure to use plain yogurt. Nonfat, low fat, or whole milk yogurt are all fine, depending on your needs and preferences. If you need to make it fairy-free, feel free to swap in mayonnaise.
- Dijon mustard
- Honey: You can also substitute pure maple syrup.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Chicken: You’ll need cooked chicken that you’v shredded or chopped into cubes. You can use leftover chicken or make it with that rotisserie chicken I mentioned earlier, or you can make Instant Pot Chicken Breasts.
- Grapes: I like red for the color, but green works fine too. Cut them in half or quarters based on their size and your preference.
- Chopped walnuts: Lightly toasted, if you like.
- Chives: Finely chopped or minced.
- Salt and pepper: To taste
How to Make Chicken Salad With Grapes and Walnuts
It’s really as simple as stirring everything together. So gather and prep your ingredients, and let’s get started.
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl combine the Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Stir it together until it is smooth.
- Combine the rest: Add the shredded chicken, grapes, walnuts, and chives to the bowl.
- Stir it together. Fold everything together until it is uniform.
- Season and serve: Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with more chives, if you like. Serve right away or store covered in the refrigerator.
How to Serve Chicken Salad
There are so many ways to enjoy this chicken salad with grapes. If you make a big batch, you can have it a different way every day!
- A classic sammie: The traditional way is to bite into a chicken salad sandwich. Buy or make some gluten free bread and pile it on with lettuce and tomato. You can even serve it in hot dog buns or gluten free crescent rolls.
- Wrap it up. Stuff it inside some gluten free pita. Or enjoy a wrap using gluten free tortillas or folded into gluten free crepes.
- Cut the carbs. Have this walnut chicken salad in lettuce wraps or pile it on top of mixed greens. If you need some additional dressing, this Creamy Greek Yogurt Maple Dijon Salad Dressing is a perfect match, or you can add a little punch of flavor with Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing.
- Scoop it up. You can even serve it at a party with crackers or celery sticks as part of a veggie platter.
Variations
Chicken salad is very versatile, so try some of these options to change it up.
- Add more crunch: Feel free to toss in some chopped apples or celery, much like a Waldorf chicken salad.
- Change the nuts: Chopped pecans are a great alternative to the walnuts, or try pumpkin seeds for a nut-free option.
- Give it something chewy: For little bursts of sweet-tart goodness, dried cranberries are a tasty addition.
- Add some punch. Minced red onions or sliced green onion instead of the chives.
- Make it cheesy: Cubes or shreds of cheddar or some crumbled blue cheese add a nice, tangy bite.
Proper Storage
Chicken salad with grapes and walnuts should not be kept at room temperature any longer than 2 hours otherwise, there is a risk of harmful bacteria, especially since this is a dish that will not be reheated. Here’s how to safely store it:
- Fridge – Keep your Waldorf chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge. You can enjoy it for up to 3 to 5 days. After that, or if you notice any unusual odors or appearance, it should be discarded.
- Freezer – I do not recommend freezing chicken salad with grapes and walnuts. The Greek yogurt in this recipe can separate and become watery, and some of the other ingredients will be mushy. While it would be safe to eat, it would not have an appealing texture.
Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups shredded, cooked chicken (about 1-1 1/3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked)
- 1 cup grapes, halved or quartered
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
- 1 Tablespoons chopped chives, or more, to your preference
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 2 Tablespoons honey, and 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Stir till combined.
- Add 4 cups shredded, cooked chicken , 1 cup grapes,1/2 cup chopped walnuts, and 1 Tablespoons chopped chives, and fold together. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve on a sandwich, salad, crackers, pita, etc.
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
Can I substitute something for the yogurt? I absolutely hate the taste of yogurt, I’m weird…lol
Most chicken salad recipes are made with mayo, so that would probably work. I am weird in the opposite direction and I don’t like mayo, which is why I use yogurt! 🙂
Thank you so much! I thought so but never having this before I wasn’t sure if the yogurt is what made this what it is! I will definitely use the mayo! Thanks again!!Pa
This chicken salad looks absolutely perfect! I could eat this for any meal of the day! Pinned!
Thank you, Tricia!
This sounds incredible to me right now! What a great spring/summer salad. Thanks for linking up to my grape salad!
Thanks, Ashley! Your grape salad looks so refreshing!
So glad this was my pin of the day…Love!
Thanks! I love it too!!
I don’t like chives- any idea what I could sub it with?
-Carissa
Sorry I haven’t replied for so long. I took a major post-baby blogging break. I hope you’ll come back and try this recipe. I think you could leave the chives out, but perhaps a bit of shallot or red onion if you like that. I don’t like strong raw onion flavor, so this bit of chive was just enough for me.
This looks great! I had no idea Chobani made those flavors of yogurt.
The pear is a fairly new flavor, so may not be everywhere, but I think the apple and honey have been out for awhile – keep your eyes peeled!
HAHA! Waldorf-ish = best recipe title ever. This looks incredible…we can only imagine how delicious it must be with 0% Pear. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Amy, @Chobani
Thanks;-) And thanks for the awesome Chobani! I’ve been going through it in buckets lately (gestational diabetes – NEEEDD lots of protein).