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.
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please read my disclosure for more info.
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
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.
AnnMarie
This was excellent. I was hesitant to use a lemon vinaigrette-I've tried others and didn't really like them. Plus, what's chicken salad without mayo? Anyway, I was BEYOND pleased and this will be my definite "go to" chicken salad. I adore the taste of the extra virgin olive oil...and don't leave out the shallot. Perfect together, thank you!
Ginger Wroot
This looks lovely! I look forward to trying a chicken salad with your suggested dressing instead of mayo. Thanks!
Lisa
Thanks Ginger! Hope you love it!