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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Comments
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Hi Jenn! My husband brought home skinless boneless from the grocery store instead of bone in. Any advice on the temperature and how long to cook it? I’m lost without a recipe and yours are my favorite!
Thank you!
Hi Michelle, I’d bake them at 400°F for 22-26 minutes or until the temperature reaches 165°F. The timing will depend on how thick the breasts are. (Keep in mind that the chicken won’t be quite as tender, but it will still be good!)
Hi Jenn, made this for a group of friends who raved about it!! About to make another batch and have a question: where the recipe calls for fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley & fresh chopped dill, could I instead use dried versions of these 2 ingredients? If yes, how should I adjust the amounts used?
So glad it was a hit with your friends! I like this best with fresh herbs but you can get away with dried. I’d use 2 teaspoons of parsley and 1 teaspoon of dried dill. 🙂
I buy the Costco chicken and I love finding recipes like this to use the leftovers! This is excellent!
This is absolutely delicious! Perfect balance of all the flavors. Made almost exactly as written – had light sour cream, whole grain Dijon mustard and toasted sliced almonds so that is what I used but don’t think would change flavor from original by much if at all. Another great recipe – Thank you!
Another great recipe! Made it twice in one week.
Excellent, especially the next day when the dill had a chance to permeate the salad. I made as written except used greek yogurt rather than sour cream and omitted the sugar.
My family doesn’t like mayo. What can we use to substitute?
You can use Greek yogurt, but it will give the chicken salad a very different flavor.
Hi Jenn
I was wondering how long will this recipe keep in the refrigerator?
Thanks so much!
Hi Melissa, I think this will keep nicely for 3 to 4 days. Hope you enjoy!
This is the best chicken salad I’ve ever tasted! Once upon a chef is my go to – every recipe I’ve made is delicious. Additionally, Jen is clearly well organized and detailed oriented. Her recipes and instructions, with pictures, are always correct ( Surprisingly, I often find mistakes with other chefs/ bloggers). I love that she lists the ingredients in the exact order of the instructions, breaking out the wet and dry ingredients.
This salad is outstanding. I love how all the flavors worked together. The fresh dill is a must. Thank you for always having recipes I can count on to be a hit.
I just made this chicken salad and am letting it sit in the fridge to chill. I used 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that had been cooked in the crockpot. (Well, less than 2 because one seemed to have overcooked at the top.) But, I think it will be just fine. 🙂 What I found kind of funny, though, is that I used the same branded ingredients that are in your picture and I didn’t realize it until now. If there’s a problem, I can’t blame it on them, can I? 😁 Anyway, I’m looking forward to trying this. My usual chicken salad recipe has grapes and almonds but the dressing is just mayo. This should take it up a few notches!