Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds
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This savory-sweet chicken salad is delicious in a sandwich, scooped over greens, or eaten straight from the bowl.
Back in May, The Kitchn published a fun chicken salad showdown by Amelia Rampe, pitting recipes from The New York Times, Southern Living, Ina Garten, and The Pioneer Woman against one another in the name of finding the best chicken salad on the internet. Each recipe uses a different method for cooking the chicken, different mix-ins, and different dressings. The Pioneer Woman’s savory-sweet chicken salad with grapes, almonds, and dill was crowned the winner, with Ina Garten’s recipe coming in a very close second. I loved both recipes, so I took what I liked from each, added a few touches of my own, and combined them into a version that’s delicious on a sandwich, scooped over greens, or eaten straight from the bowl. This is the fun of cooking!
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Rub the chicken with the oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads between 160°F and 165°F (the temperature will continue to rise about 5 degrees as it cools).
It’s important not to overcook the chicken or the salad will be dry. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer with a remote probe (affiliate link) so that you can monitor the temperature of the chicken without ever opening your oven. It takes all of the guesswork out of it.
When the chicken is cool, remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Dice the chicken into a 1/2-inch pieces.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, 1 scant teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 
Whisk to combine.
Add the diced chicken, celery, scallions, grapes, almonds, and herbs to the dressing.
Toss until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Chill the salad in the refrigerator for a few hours. Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning again, if necessary.
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Classic Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds
This savory-sweet chicken salad is delicious in a sandwich, scooped over greens, or eaten straight from the bowl.
Ingredients
- 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 3 lbs)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 stalks celery, finely diced
- 4 large scallions, light and dark green parts, thinly sliced
- 1½ cups grapes, halved
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Rub the chicken with the oil and sprinkle all over with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads between 160°F and 165°F (the temperature will continue to rise about 5 degrees as it cools). Set aside to cool.
- When the chicken is cool, remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Dice the chicken into a ½-inch pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, 1 scant teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the diced chicken, celery, scallions, grapes, almonds, and herbs and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, sugar, and lemon juice, if necessary. Chill the salad in the refrigerator for a few hours. Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning again, if necessary.
- Note: If you'd like to use leftover or rotisserie chicken, you'll need about 4 cups. Begin at step 3. (Toss very gently if using a rotisserie chicken; it shreds easily.)
- Note: The key to making a good chicken salad is not overcooking the chicken. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer with a remote probe (affiliate link) so that you can monitor the temperature of the chicken without ever opening your oven. It takes the guesswork out of it.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 584
- Fat: 43g
- Saturated fat: 9g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Sugar: 10g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 36g
- Sodium: 679mg
- Cholesterol: 114mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi, this looks delicious – I am not a sour cream lover but I have had it in some recipes and cannot taste it so I am okay with it. Can you taste the sour cream in this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Samantha, No I wouldn’t say this tastes strongly of sour cream. Hope you enjoy if you make it!
This chicken salad is delicious. I made it for a buffet luncheon and everybody asked for the recipe. I used green grapes instead of red, because the green grapes I had were a little sweeter. I could not find bone-in chicken breasts, so I bought skinless breasts and poached them. It worked out perfectly. Next time I make it, I will try to find bone-in with skin chicken breasts which I believe will add another layer of flavor.
If I don’t have sour cream, would plain Greek yogurt make an okay substitute?
Sure, Kelly, that will work. Please LMK how it turns out!
I’ve made it with greek yoghurt and it’s delicious although I prefer the recipe as you’ve written it. I’m eagerly waiting for your next cookbook!
Hey Jenn: I’m planning on making this today, could I toast the almonds do you think?
Sure! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
This is the first chicken salad I’ve ever made or ever eaten. I’ve recently found a reliable recipe for homemade mayo and decided to make this for my husband not knowing if I even like chicken salad (I react strongly to many preservatives so its always been a no-no for me). This is delicious. I made it according to the recipe. I’m not a huge fan of dill and wondered how it would taste with grapes but this salad is wonderfully balanced. I did not add the almonds initially but add them when I serve it since it will take us several days to eat the entire recipe. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
We ate in this all week and it was delicious just like everything else on the website. Can’t wait for the second cookbook!
Delicious take on chicken salad! Very easy to make too.
Looks delicious! I plan on making this for dinner, during our current heatwave i do not want go near the stove/oven!
I plan on using 1.5lbs boneless chicken breast because thats what I have on hand…do you suggest reducing the rest of the ingredients or does it pretty much even out once you remove the bones/skin from your 3lbs of bone in chicken?
I hope that makes sense!
Thank you
1.5 pounds should work well with no other modifications. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for your prompt reply, I made it as you suggested with no modifications (actually I used pistachios instead of almonds because its what I had) but other than that I made the dressing as directed and it was DELICIOUS! I scooped it into pita pockets. This will be my go to chicken salad recipe.
Have tried many chicken salad recipes and this one is the best one yet! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! I loved the addition of sour cream, many times I feel the dressing tastes too strongly of mayo, this one is perfect!
OMG! This is a fabulous chicken salad. I was a bit skeptical about adding grapes (I usually add chopped apples to mine) but I made the recipe as written and loved it. Just the right combination of sweet and savory. The only thing I did differently was to poach the chicken in broth rather than roasting in the oven – our temperature was 107 degrees and I’m not turning on the oven! I will definitely make this again…and again. Thanks for another winner, Jenn.
I made this for a small ladies luncheon, everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. My husband had the leftovers but was frowning at the grapes and almonds but ended up loving it. I also served your Luscious Lemon Bars for dessert, again another winner.