Chicken Salad with Grapes

Every week I seek inspiration to answer the same question: “What do I do with leftover chicken?” While I could turn it into tacos, bake it in a pot pie, or stir it into a soup, the very best way to use up leftover cooked chicken (or a freshly purchased, tender rotisserie chicken) is creamy chicken salad. Studded with toasted nuts and jewels of juicy red grapes, chicken salad makes me excited to eat leftovers.

This isn’t your average chicken salad — it relies on both mayonnaise and yogurt in the dressing for a creamy consistency and acidic tang that lightly coats the chicken, celery, and other mix-ins without feeling too heavy. Here’s how to make the very best chicken salad with grapes.

A creamy, seasoned dressing is all you need to turn shredded chicken, crunchy celery, toasted walnuts or pecans, and grapes into an easy lunch or picnic staple. For this dressing, combine mayonnaise with either sour cream or plain yogurt. Regular or Greek yogurt can be used, although the regular yogurt will give the dressing a slightly thinner consistency.

Add more flavor to the dressing with Dijon mustard, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Because refrigeration can dull the flavor, make sure to taste and adjust the seasoning if you plan to serve this chicken salad straight from the fridge.

Looking for a mayo-free chicken salad? Try gỏi gà, a citrusy Vietnamese chicken salad, or opt for avocado chicken salad.

Sweet and juicy grapes are just what you need elevate this everyday mayo-based salad. While I prefer tart green grapes for eating out of hand, red grapes are my pick for partnering in this salad. Seedless red grapes add a hint of sweetness and a pretty purple-red color to the naturally neutral salad. Halve the grapes, or cut them into quarters if they are especially large, before stirring them in.

You may be tempted to eat this creamy chicken salad with grapes and nuts straight from the mixing bowl, but there are other ways to serve the deli classic. Try scooping a serving onto a bed of crunchy romaine or tender butter lettuce. Make an easy lunch by spreading the chicken salad between sliced bread or a croissant served alongside salty potato chips. Chicken salad can also moonlight as a dip on snack boards. Serve with sturdy crackers, celery, and chips for scooping.