Chicken Salad Grapes Walnuts (Print version)

Tender chicken mixed with grapes and walnuts, tossed in a creamy dressing for a fresh, flavorful meal.

# What you'll need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded (approximately 2 large breasts)

→ Salad Mix-ins

02 - 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
03 - 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
04 - 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
06 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

→ Dressing

07 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise
08 - 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
09 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
10 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
11 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ To Assemble

13 - 4 large sandwich rolls, croissants, or slices of whole grain bread
14 - Lettuce leaves

# How to make it:

01 - In a large bowl, mix the cooked chicken, grapes, celery, walnuts, parsley, and green onions until evenly distributed.
02 - In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper until smooth.
03 - Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss gently to coat all ingredients thoroughly.
04 - Adjust seasoning as necessary by tasting and adding more salt or pepper if needed.
05 - Layer lettuce leaves on the bottom half of each sandwich roll or bread slice, then spoon generous portions of chicken salad on top. Cover with remaining bread half.
06 - Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate the chicken salad for up to 2 days before assembling.

# Expert suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in twenty minutes but tastes like you've been planning it all week.
  • The combination of sweet grapes and crunchy walnuts keeps every bite interesting and prevents the monotony of a plain chicken salad.
  • You can make it once and eat it for days, with the flavors actually improving as everything melds together in the fridge.
02 -
  • Don't assemble the sandwiches hours in advance unless you're okay with soft bread; the lettuce helps but only delays the inevitable sogginess.
  • Halving the grapes is non-negotiable because biting into a whole grape can launch juice unexpectedly and make you look startled at your lunch.
  • If you make this the night before, keep the dressing and chicken salad separate from the bread, then assemble in the morning for best results.
03 -
  • Use rotisserie chicken from the store without any guilt—it's convenient, consistently good, and means you can get a proper lunch on the table when you're genuinely busy.
  • Toast your walnuts in a dry skillet for two minutes before chopping if you want to amplify their flavor and add an extra dimension that guests will notice without quite understanding what you did.

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