Healthy Chicken Salad with Grapes
This sweet, savory, & healthy recipe for chicken salad is packed with shredded chicken, grapes, pecans, and celery. A delicious, satisfying lunch!
This post was originally published on 7/14/18 and updated with new photos and copy on 12/3/21!
I’m pretty sure this simple, healthy recipe for chicken salad is one of my favorite lunches of all time. Served in a sandwich, wrap, with gluten-free crackers, or on a bed of lettuce, it’s the most delicious, filling meal! My chicken salad recipe is super easy to make. Just add your ingredients, mix, and you have yourself the most amazing, healthy lunch or snack! Whether you’re Whole30, Paleo, or Keto, this gluten free and dairy free recipe is totally customizable, and pretty much the BEST chicken salad ever!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Makes this Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe Work
My mom always used to add grapes to her chicken salad when I was growing up, and now I can’t have a chicken salad without them! The sweetness of the grapes, mixed with the savory crunch of the pecans and celery gives this healthy chicken salad the perfect amount of flavor and texture.
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s so versatile. You can add whatever fruit + nuts you have on hand. Blueberries, apples, strawberries, almonds, pecans, you really can’t go wrong! Make a big batch over the weekend to have for lunches throughout the week!
Other Healthy Chicken Salads
How to Make Chicken Salad with Pecans & Grapes
Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make this simple recipe, many of which you might already have on hand. All of them are Whole30, Paleo, and customizable to be keto and low carb.
- Chicken Breasts: or the meat from one rotisserie chicken. Whole Foods has Whole30 compliant rotisserie chickens. Most others have added ingredients (even gluten) – so make sure to check your labels! I love getting organic chicken from Butcher Box!
- Mayo: I love Sir Kensington’s mayo and I get the large jar of it at Costco. They removed sugar as an added ingredient, so it is now Whole30 compliant. You can also make your own! This is a great recipe from my friend Natalie at Tastes Lovely!
- Pistachios or Pecans
- Grapes: I know I said this before, but chicken salad with grapes is SO GOOD!
- Celery
- Celery seed
- Paprika
- Sea Salt
Instructions
- Shred your chicken into bite-sized pieces
- Add the shredded chicken and remaining ingredients to a large bowl, and mix well.
- Serve on a salad, on a sandwich, or in a paleo wrap.
Mary’s Chicken Salad Pro Tips
Easy Poached Chicken Breasts for Shredding: This is such an easy way to make shredded chicken for your chicken salad! Bring a large pot of water to a boil with chicken breasts inside. Once boiling, cover and remove from heat. Let the breasts sit in the covered pot for 15 minutes. Chop/shred and add to the bowl!
Swaps & Variations: Add in some diced apple, cranberries, walnuts, or really any nut! Depending on your dietary needs, or lifestyle, this healthy salad can totally be made to fit anyone eating keto, Whole30, or paleo!
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to eat! Can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
FAQs
Is this recipe for healthy chicken salad also keto? Grapes aren’t typically recommended while eating keto because they are high in sugar, however, this is totally a keto chicken salad if you swap the grapes for blueberries or strawberries! Make sure to follow your personal carb tracking for amounts of fruit to stay within your limits.
Is healthy chicken salad with grapes Whole30 compliant? One tricky thing about the chicken in this recipe is rotisserie chickens or store-bought ready-made chicken often includes sugar in the ingredients! I know it’s super frustrating, which is why I include a super easy recipe to poach and shred your own chicken breasts. Check out specialty stores like Whole Foods for compliant chickens, as many of them do offer this! Otherwise, this recipe is Whole30 compliant and paleo-friendly!
Can I use this healthy chicken salad recipe for meal prep? Yes! As a matter of fact, this is such a great recipe to have one hand. Especially for those busy days where you’re running around and end up at the refrigerator starving and looking for something quick and easy. It’s super filling, delicious, and totally healthy. Not to mention the grapes are a perfect sweet treat! Just store it in the fridge and pull it out whenever you’re ready to eat!
More Healthy Chicken Recipes
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Sheet Pan Keto Chicken Fajitas
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Healthy Chicken Salad with Grapes | Whole30
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded, cooked chicken, Rotisserie or make your own poached chicken breasts (instructions above and below!)
- 1 cup sliced grapes
- ¼ cup chopped pecans, raw or dry roasted
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- ⅓ cup mayo
- ½ tsp sea salt, more or less to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp celery seed
- ½ tsp paprika
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Mix well until combined. Refrigerate until ready to eat! Can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
39 Comments on “Healthy Chicken Salad with Grapes”
This is such a great chicken salad recipe! Very easy to assemble and the flavors are so yummy together! It’s a staple in our house!
So simple to make and absolutely delish!
So yummy and so delicious!!
Love this. So easy and delicious for a lunch option.
What kind of wrap is that in the picture?
This looks so Yum! What a great recipe to change things up with my chicken salad.
Delicious and husband approved, too! Packed his lunch for work and he texted me “This chicken salad is the best one you’ve made yet”. Easy to make, simple ingredients, and great flavor!
This is one of my favorites to make! It’s incredibly simple both in terms of ingredients (which I love) and preparation. Plus it feeds my husband and I for a week! This is one of the few dairy free (as we use avocado Mayo) recipes he actually enjoys because it tastes like the dairy filled not as great for you version. I make this at least once a month during the school year as it makes an easy lunch/dinner for my teaching schedule and doesn’t have to be reheated (bonus since I work out of my car)
Oh. My. Gosh. I’m literally about to eat this entire recipe by myself in one sitting. I just can’t quit it!!! Mary, you need to change it to “Yields: 4 people with self control” because I am not joking, haha! I’m on my third serving of it. And I’d be surprised if that last serving hangs on til tomorrow. The flavor combos are just unreal, and I love the different textures! It really hits every single note. The perfect easy weekday lunch!
Thank you so much, Samantha!
Another great recipe that can be personalized based on what you have in your pantry — I subbed pomegranate seeds for the the apple. Yummalicious.
We just discovered this amazing recipe. My daughter has taken it in her lunch with crackers every day this week. It’s so tasty!
THANK YOU for including how you cook your chicken to shred. On behalf of all of us beginner level chefs, I appreciate it! I can’t wait to try the recipe.
Love this recipe! I’ve made it two weeks in a row now. I also add sliced almonds, red onion and fresh avocado.
Made this today! Day 15 of my whole30 (when the boredom sets in) & this was the solution! Delicious
So tasty and easy to make! Perfect to store in the fridge and have for lunch. I put mine on cucumber slices for mini open face sandwhiches and it’s a great pairing!
I’ve been a huge chicken salad fan my whole life. This is my new go-to recipe! It’s so good.
Thank you, Katie!
I used to make a chicken salad similar to this years ago, and had forgotten how delicious the sweet & savory combo is! Thanks for another yummy, easy, clean recipe!😊
You’re welcome! Thank you Lucrezia!
I have made MANY chicken salad recipes off the internet. I think it will be our go-to recipe now. It was humble but impressive. We so enjoyed the elements of sweetness balanced with the addition of pistachios– it was an incredible balance of sweet and savory. Highly recommend!
Thank you Amy! This is such a great compliment. Glad you enjoyed it!
This is such a good whole 30 lunch option!! Delish on salads or in the Bibb lettuce wraps. YUM!
Chicken salad is my favorite healthy go-to meal or snack!