Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

This easy chicken salad with grapes and walnuts is a healthy version of the restaurant classic you can whip up in a few minutes. It's gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, Whole30 friendly, and a great recipe for a healthy lunch or a no-cook dinner!

This chicken salad with grapes and walnuts is a remake of restaurant chicken salad that was one of my favorite take-out lunches. The original was loaded with commercial mayonnaise and served on a croissant.

This version is a healthy chicken salad with organic chicken, fresh fruit, and vegetables, with healthy fats from walnuts and olive oil. A simple vinaigrette takes the place of mayo for an easy meal.

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Easy chicken salad recipe

This chicken salad with grapes recipe starts with cooked chicken. You can make it with leftover chicken, roasted chicken, slow cooker chicken, grilled chicken breasts, or rotisserie chicken. My local grocery store has organic chicken in the rotisserie with no seasonings added. That's what I use when I don't have time to cook.

Grapes add natural sweetness to this healthy salad whether you use red seedless grapes or green grapes. I always cut the grapes in half. It's easier to eat and you get a little bit of the sweetness from the grape juice when you fold them into the dressing.

Pro tip: To halve them quickly, place the individual grapes on a plate or lid with a lip that comes halfway up the grapes. Invert another plate or lid over the top of the grapes. Then carefully slice through them between the plates so you cut them in half all at once.

Walnuts along with the raw celery add the extra crunch to this salad. Shallots or red onion and fresh parsley round out the salad ingredient list.

The no mayo dressing is a simple fresh lemon juice and olive oil vinaigrette. Whisking the olive oil into the lemon juice thickens it to a creamy, emulsified finish. Here's a tutorial on how to make a basic vinaigrette.

I like this delicious chicken salad in lettuce wraps — or straight out of the bowl. You can also serve it over salad greens or on gluten-free paleo bread or rolls. Either way, it's perfect for easy lunches.

More healthy salad recipes

Looking for more healthy salad ideas? Check out this collection of easy summer salads. Or try one of these favorites:

• Broccoli Salad with Bacon
• Avocado Tuna Salad
• Antipasto Salad with Easy Italian Dressing
• Easy Avocado Caprese Salad
• Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts

An easy and healthy version of the restaurant classic chicken salad with grapes.

4.67 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo, Whole30

Author: Lisa Wells

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons minced shallot or red onion
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ▢ ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 cups diced cooked organic chicken
• ▢ 1 cup halved seedless red grapes
• ▢ ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ▢ ½ cup diced celery
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

• Add shallots and lemon juice to large bowl. Whisk in olive oil slowly until dressing is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add chicken, grapes, walnuts, celery, and parsley to bowl with dressing. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Notes

Serve on lettuce leaves or grain-free bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 405kcal Carbohydrates: 10g Protein: 19g Fat: 32g Saturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 53mg Sodium: 64mg Potassium: 344mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 7g Vitamin A: 310IU Vitamin C: 7.6mg Calcium: 34mg Iron: 1.7mg

Keyword: chicken salad with grapes, chicken salad with grapes and walnuts

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