This Easy Chicken Salad Recipe is a healthier version of the traditional chicken salad we all love. Made with shredded chicken breasts, Greek yogurt, and grapes, it has the perfect balance of creamy + crunchy. This recipe is keto-friendly too!
Why I Love This Easy Chicken Salad Recipe
My husband is one busy man and sometimes lunch just doesn’t happen. He’ll work right through it or grab a spoonful of peanut butter to hold him over. I’m not okay with it! He’s 6’5″ and NEEDS to have food in his belly! Enter this easy chicken salad recipe.
- It’s the perfect make-ahead lunch! This recipe easily keeps in the fridge for an entire work week. I often make a batch (or double batch) on Sunday so he and I can both enjoy it for lunch throughout the week. I’ll alternate between this chicken salad with grapes and my Waldorf chicken salad to keep things interesting.
- Versatile. There are so many ways to enjoy this chicken salad! It’s ideal for salads, sandwiches, wraps – you name it. My husband prefers it on bread or a croissant, while I often eat it on a lettuce wrap.
- Lots of flavor & texture. I like to add some tang to my salad and cut the calories by adding Greek yogurt and mustard instead of JUST mayo. It really makes such a difference in the flavor. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice can add so much to any dish and really make it pop! This recipe has the perfect amount of sauce versus chicken and grapes.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a run-down of the ingredients needed to make this easy chicken salad recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements and printable instructions.
- Shredded chicken – I like to boil, roast, or grill chicken breasts, then shred them for this recipe. Rotisserie chicken would also work.
- Grapes – I like to use red grapes, but green grapes work too, for a more tart flavor.
- Chopped pecans – Add some crunch to the salad.
- Green onions – I prefer green onions to diced red or white onions in this recipe. They add flavor without as much ‘bite”.
- Greek yogurt & mayo – I like to use equal parts of Greek yogurt and mayo to achieve the creamy texture while adding some extra protein and tanginess with the Greek yogurt.
- Dijon mustard – Adds a bit of spicy, earthy flavor to the dressing.
- Spices – Dried sage, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper season the salad.
- Lemon juice – A squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds a pop of acidity to the dressing, which lightens and brightens the flavor of the salad.
How to Make Chicken Salad with Grapes
One of the reasons I love this salad is that it’s so easy to make. Perfect for busy weekdays!
- Combine the ingredients. Combine the shredded chicken, red grapes, pecans, and green onions in a bowl.
- Make the dressing. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, and spices.
- Combine. Stir the dressing into the chicken mixture until combined.
- Enjoy! Cover and refrigerate or enjoy immediately.
My Simple Trick for Shredding Chicken
Shredded chicken breast is the foundation of this salad, but I’m not a big fan of standing at the counter trying to shred chicken breasts with forks. It takes too long! Instead, I cook my chicken breasts and then use the paddle attachment in my KitchenAid stand mixer to shred the cooked chicken. Any cooking method works for this, so just go with your favorite. You can boil, roast, grill, or pan sear your chicken breasts, then toss them in the stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Set your mixer to high speed and let it do all the hard work for you in about 45 seconds.
Mix In Ideas
One of the best things about chicken salad is how easy it is to customize. This recipe has pecans and grapes, but you can sub these ingredients or add in more according to your preferences. Here are some variation ideas:
- Pickles
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Veggies – Olives, diced bell pepper, and of course, the classic celery!
- Fresh or dried fruit – Diced apples, dried cranberries, or even dried cherries are all tasty options.
- Nuts – Cashews and walnuts would be a delicious alternative to pecans.
- Avocado – Add mashed avocado to your salad just before serving.
Really the options are endless! Go with your fav and dig in.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve this chicken salad with grapes on top of salads or wrapped in lettuce leaves for a low-carb alternative to sandwiches. But of course, this recipe also makes an amazing chicken salad sandwich. You can also use tortillas to make chicken salad wraps, or croissants to make things a bit fancy!
For sides, I’ll often serve this with a side of crispy baked fries with roasted garlic aioli, a bowl of summer fruit salad, or some roasted red pepper hummus and veggie slices.
How to Store Leftovers
- Fridge. Chicken salad will last for 5-7 days when stored in an airtight container and refrigerated. Give it a good stir when you take it out and maybe refresh the flavor with a pinch of black pepper, then serve!
- Freezer. I would not recommend freezing chicken salad. It tends to get watery after thawing out. However, if you choose to freeze it. Place it in a freezer safe storage bag, remove all the air from the bag and store up to two months. When ready to serve, thaw out in the refrigerator for 24 hours. I highly recommend adding more mayo to thicken it up or it will be runny.
More Easy Salads To Try
Easy Chicken Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups of chicken salad 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Assemble
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
This Easy Chicken Salad Recipe is a healthier version of traditional chicken salad. Made with shredded chicken breasts, Greek yogurt, grapes and a few herbs for the perfect balance of creamy + crunchy.
Ingredients
- 2lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 1 1/2 cups halved red grapes
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup diced green onions
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1–2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- To a large bowl add shredded chicken, red grapes, pecans, and green onions.
- In a small bowl add yogurt, mayo, mustard, sage, smoked paprika, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk together.
- Add the liquid mixture to the chicken dish.
- Stir everything together until it is completely combined.
- Serve on a slice of bread or in a cup of bibb lettuce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 168
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 157 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
67 comments on “Easy Chicken Salad Recipe”
Hi Krista! Thanks for sharing this keto chicken salad recipe. It looks amazing! I noticed your recipe doesnāt include avocado, which I find adds great texture and healthy fats. I saw avocado being used in another keto chicken salad recipe and wondered if it would be a good addition here as well. What do you think?
Yes! I actually have an Avocado Chicken Salad recipe on my site that uses avocado as the creamy element instead of mayo. You should try it!
I rarely leave reviews from recipes but this is excellent! I love the addition of the smoked paprika and lemon juice with the grapes and pecans. I canāt wait to have this, this week as my meal prep with Romain lettuce and mini tortillas!
Wohoo! I’m honored! Thank you so much for sharing!
First time I made this and it was delicious!!
Woohoo! So glad you liked it!
I wish I hadnāt added the Dijon mustard, I ended up throwing the whole bowl away. Iām not to fond of Dijon mustard but thought I wouldnāt be able to taste it but it over powers everything else.
Ohh sorry about that. Yeah, if you don’t like mustard then I’d recommend keeping it out. š
My family and I really liked the recipe and even substituted silk soy yogurt instead of greek yogurt. You couldn’t tell the difference! There were no leftovers and a perfect use of some leftover chicken breasts I had in the fridge. 10/10 would make again!
So glad you gave this recipe a try! Such a great way to use up leftover chicken!
I am allergy the Mayo and Sour Cream. What can I get subscriber it ?
you could use greek yogurt and mustard
Made this for lunch for some guests and it was a big hit! Definitely will be making it again soon for easy lunches during the week.
I’m curious if anyone else has entered this recipe in to MyFitnessPal? This recipe states that 1/2 cup serving is only 191cal, but when I enter it to MFP it comes out at 301?! That’s a huge discrepancy. I even used LIGHT mayo on nonfat Greek yogurt.
Dondi- I imported to MFP and chose specific brands, etc. and get 147 calories. Are you entering it as 12 servings? It says it yields 6 cups, and a serving is listed as 1/2 a cup, so it would be 12 servings. That may be where your discrepancy comes from? Itās a little confusing since the number of servings isnāt stated outright.
First time visitor here. But I already fell in love with what you have here!
Thank you for sharing this easy recipe. It is so delicious.
LOVE this recipe. I make this at least once a week and is my go to for a healthy lunch! I throw it atop somce greens or some times on a sprouted grain roll! Occasionally I’ll add diced dried apricots too! Great recipe!
I thought this was going to be weird.. to me it seemed like a lot of mustard but this was actually very very good! My family loved it and my co-workers sampled some of my lunch and asked me for the recipe.
Quick and Easy, perfect for a week night meal. I made some baked fries for a side along with some grapes.
Delicious lunch. My husband liked it, too.
My husband and I really enjoyed this! I didn’t have sage, but it turned out great. I also tried adding a little bit of honey and apples (I just love apples in my chicken salad!), and I liked it being a little bit sweeter. Thanks so much!
Tried this out tonight, and my husband LOVED it!! I used to make chicken salad with eggs, and he didn’t care for it. I’m so glad to find an easy make-ahead choice for his lunch! Thanks for sharing!
Ohh hurray! Yeah for new found recipes, so glad he likes this one!
I have never ever made chicken salad (65 years old!!!) until now. Just made this and WOW! Itās so fresh and lively. Not at all heavy. Thanks for sharing!!!
OH Donna, you’ve been missing out! So glad you found this and made it now! Game changer! š
Can I still make this without the Sage? We don’t have any at the house. Thanks and looking forward to making this!! Awesome blog by the way – love everything!!
Yes, you could sub it with thyme or rosemary or even basil if you’d like. And thank you!
This recipe is incredible!! I used all Greek yogurt (not a fan of mayo) and it is awesome. Best chicken salad recipe EVER! Thanks š
great sub, the flavor is still there! Sooo good!
This is an absolute hit at our house! Thanks so much for such a fantastic healthy version of chicken salad!
Oh thank you so much Debbie. Glad your family enjoys it!
Very good write-up. I certainly love this website. Thanks!
I had to come on here and leave a comment . When Iām looking for a new recipe I scroll down to the comments first before I dive in to make it . I want to know if itās really good , if itās worth my time to make , so Iām looking for people who hve actually made it . I found good reviews on this. We needed a chicken salad recipe to make for a party we were having . I have made other chicken salads in the past but they were never really that great. This on the other hand was not good , it was AMAZING !! I knew the moment I tried the mixture, before adding it to the chicken , that this would be THE recipe. I made a big batch and sent half of it over to my familieās house to get their approval . They loved it ! My brother couldnāt stay out of the bowl. Now I didnāt add the pecans or the grapes since weāre not really fond of them in salads , but everything else I did. Itās perfect . I will now be making chicken salad often for meal planning . I never did because I couldnāt find a recipe I really liked until now ! This is a must try . Donāt let the thought of yogurt in chicken salad turn you away . I hate yogurt . I canāt stand the taste or the texture of it. So it almost turned me away but gave it a try and love it !! You really canāt taste the yogurt in it.
How did you come up with the nutritional value
I use myfitnesspal.com to calculate all of my nutritional information, it’s super easy to use and you are able to select specific brands which is great.
How did you use MFP because when I imported it it says 360 Cal’s per half cup. Someone is wrong here
honestly you have to keep an eye on the counts… sometimes MFP will save that 2 teaspoons of garlic powder is 111 calories… it imports wrong so I always double check what MFP says. i think that is happening to a lot of people!
This is a great recipe for chicken salad! I just made it, it tastes great, and Iām excited to have it ready for lunch this week. The mixture with Greek yogurt, mustard and all the spices is spot-on (I put more Greek yogurt than mayonnaise to make even lighter) but the spice mixture makes it really flavorful. Thanks!
Hurray! Glad you enjoyed it Lauren. Seeing your comment reminded me… I need to make this recipe again! I haven’t made it in a while and it would be good to have on hand right now for lunch!
Loved this recipe! The flavors are amazing. Both my boyfriend and I have been eating it for days. I made my own Mayo (Whole30 Recipe), subbed rosemary for sage and added some diced celerey. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Made it last week and it was delicious!
awesome, so glad to hear that! Thanks Tiffany!
Decent recipe but the real question is would he still be your husband if he was 5’5 instead of 6’5?
haha… yes. Definitely!
Loved this! I didn’t have green onion and used thinly sliced celery pieces instead. It had a nice crunch and was still delicious! I love the lack of mayo flavor and the tang you adde with the seasonings and Dijon. This has become my go-to chicken salad recipe; thank you!
oh love the crunch you gave it with the celery. So glad to see this will be a repeat at your house.
Omg wow. It is amazing. Never tried Greek yogurt in foods. Perfect sweetness with the mustard. Made it for football party. They love them.
woohoo… so glad you liked it. Yes the greek yogurt is a game changer!
Best Chicken Salad recipe . Everyone has asked me for the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
woohoo! That’s awesome Denise!
I have a question. Will This freeze well?
It might, usually with anything mayo based you don’t want to. But this one is greek yogurt so I think it will do okay at freezing.
I want to make this recipe but I need help how should I cook the chicken should I boil it or should I season it and cook it a different way
I usually just boil it. But you could also grill it to add a little more flavor!
This was wonderful. I made it for a get-together, and got a lot of compliments. The dijon mustard really added a nice extra kick, and that was the number one thing people commented on. I have made several different chicken salad recipes, and I think the mustard gave it the flavor that other recipes lack. Chicken salad can be really bland, imo. This recipe is a keeper, will make it again. Thank you!
Agreed! Dijon is my go to instead of adding mayo. I do the same with my tuna salad too. It’s perfect and way less on calories. š So glad you like it Katie!
Chicken salad is one of my favorite lunches! I love that you use greek yogurt in this recipe!
I know I could eat this for lunch every day for the rest of my life and be very, very happy!
haha… I completely agree!
This salad is a perfect lunch idea! I have everything on hand so it’s definitely happening!
woohoo! bon appetit anna!
Now, this is my kind of lunch!! Looks terrific!!
Hi Krista,
First time visitor here. But I already fell in love with what you have here!
Thank you for sharing this easy recipe. How creative!. It is so delicious. I love chicken and salad . I’m going to try it now. Thanks for sharing it with us š
Jennifer
Awesome Jennifer! Well, welcome! I am so glad that you love it and that you love my blog! That means the world!
Chicken salad (with grapes!) is one of my favorite things! I love that this is lightened up! Mmmm!
Greek yogurt is my FAVORITE substitite! This is exactly how I make chicken salad sandwiches and they are so yummy!
woohoo! Twins!!!
This looks so good, perfect for a lunch!