Chicken salad is a classic dish, but my version has a little something extra that makes it the best chicken salad recipe (keep reading below!) Diced chicken is tossed with a creamy dressing and dotted with crisp celery, green onion, and fresh grapes. It’s easy, healthy, bright, flavorful, and makes any spring or summer meal extra delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Salad
I’ll happily rave on and on about how amazing this chicken salad is. The texture is crisp yet creamy, the flavors are incredibly fresh, and it’s a dish that I can always depend on for spring and summer outings. When the weather is warm, I find myself making it almost every other week for a high-protein, healthy lunch. Plus, I just love the sweet, juicy grapes that balance the creamy dressing perfectly! Here’s what makes my version a bit unique:
- My secret ingredient is tarragon. Fresh tarragon pairs beautifully with chicken and adds an herbaceous, slightly sweet flavor that really elevates the salad.
- It’s perfectly chunky, not mushy. Many recipes use shredded chicken, but I think diced chicken is so much better for that chunky texture. If I’m craving something softer, that’s where my tuna salad comes in!
- It’s a full meal kind of salad. Similar to my shrimp salad, egg salad, or salmon salad, this is one salad that will keep you full without weighing you down. Protein for the win!
Chicken Salad Ingredients
- Chicken breasts: I use poached chicken in this recipe, but you could also use leftover rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken from boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Mayonnaise: You can’t beat this creamy binder that brings everything together. Store-bought works fine, but it’s also easy to make mayonnaise at home. My recipe is foolproof!
- Dijon Mustard: Just a little Dijon adds depth of flavor and a subtle spice.
- Red grapes: You can use red or green seedless grapes. I’m using red grapes, and just love the vibrant, contrasting color they add.
- Celery and green onion: I love my chicken salads with a crisp celery crunch. And the green onions add that savory flavor without being too pungent.
- Toasted almonds: Toasting sliced almonds brings out their nutty flavor and adds great texture.
- Parsley: One of my favorite fresh herbs to add brightness to salads.
- Tarragon: The secret ingredient! You’ll be amazed at how much flavor just a small amount adds.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
First, Let’s Make Poached Chicken
I love using poached chicken for this recipe because it’s easy, healthy, and incredibly tender. When done right, poaching gives you some of the juiciest chicken you’ll ever have. It also means I don’t have to turn on the oven, which is always a bonus on a hot day. Here’s how I do it:
- Prep the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in a wide pot or pan, so they’re not overlapping or crowded. Then, cover them with cold water and add a generous pinch of salt to season the chicken as it cooks.
- Simmer the chicken. Slowly bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Once it starts simmering, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the chicken cook for about 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches about 160°F to 165°F.
- Let the chicken rest. Remove the chicken and let it rest for a couple of minutes, so the juices can redistribute.
- Chill the chicken. Finally, transfer the chicken to the fridge to cool completely. Cold chicken is key to retaining the best chicken salad texture.
Next, Here’s How To Make Chicken Salad
Now that the chicken is cooked through and chilled, it’s time to assemble the salad with three easy steps!
Toast the almonds and dice the chicken. Lightly toast the sliced almonds in a small pan on the stove until they’re fragrant and lightly golden. Then let them cool completely. While they cool, dice the chicken into small chunks, quarter the grapes, chop the celery, parsley, and tarragon, and slice the green onions.
Mix everything together. Add the diced chicken, grapes, celery, green onion, toasted almonds, parsley, tarragon, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard to a large bowl. Then, gently mix everything together until well combined. A little salt and pepper at the end is all it needs.
Lastly, let it chill (very important!). Chicken salad is always best served cold, so I always let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. This also gives the flavors time to meld together.
Ingredient Substitutions
There are plenty of ways to customize this salad with what you may have on hand.
- Vary the nuts: Swap the almonds for pecans or walnuts.
- Mix up the fruit: Skip the grapes and try diced apples, dried cranberries, or dried cherries instead.
- Change the onions: If you don’t have green onions, finely diced red onion works well.
- Make it creamier: Swap the mayonnaise for Greek yogurt, or do a half-and-half mix of both.
Three Ways I Love Eating This Salad
Most often, I eat this chicken salad straight out of the bowl by the spoonful, because it’s that good! It’s also the perfect side dish for picnics, potlucks, and holidays (like 4th of July and Memorial Day). But you could also turn it into a:
- Sandwich: Pile it between slices of sandwich bread with lettuce, spinach, or tomato.
- Lettuce Wrap: For a lighter option, scoop it into large romaine or butter lettuce leaves.
- Green Salad: Add a few spoonfuls on top of a bed of greens like baby spinach or spring mix.
STORAGE TIPS
Since this recipe is meant to be served cold, don’t leave it at room temperature for more than two hours. Otherwise, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days.
Common Questions
Yes, you can do that for a creamier touch.
While I do think fresh tarragon makes this recipe extra tasty, you could also use fresh chervil, basil, or dill. In a pinch, you could use dried tarragon (use about 1 teaspoon), though I do think fresh herb options are best.
No, I don’t recommend it. Mayo-based dressings tend to separate and go a bit watery when they’re thawed.
More Classic Salad Recipes
- Broccoli Salad: Another go-to for potlucks!
- Greek Salad: A true Mediterranean favorite.
- Cucumber Salad: The easiest, refreshing side salad.
- Cobb Salad: The best high-protein salad!
- Or give these other healthy salad recipes, summer salads, or potluck salads a try!
If you make this chicken salad recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’d like to see more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free email community here.
Description
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup red grapes, quartered
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 3 green onions (green and white parts), sliced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup sliced raw almonds
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
- 1 lemon, juiced (about 3 tablespoons)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the poached chicken
- Cover the chicken with water. Place the chicken breasts in a wide pot or pan and cover by about an inch with cold water. Season the water with salt. Optionally, you can add aromatics of your choice. Read my poached chicken recipe for more details.
- Simmer the chicken. Turn the heat to medium until it reaches a gentle simmer. Then reduce the heat back to low and cover the pan. Let the chicken simmer for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F to 165°F. Remove the chicken and let it rest for a couple of minutes. Then chill in the fridge.
For the chicken salad recipe
- Dice the cooled chicken. Transfer the cooled chicken to a cutting board and dice it into ½-inch pieces. Add it to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix together and chill. Add the grapes, celery, green onion, mayonnaise, mustard, almonds, parsley, tarragon, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, then stir together, until well combined. Let it chill covered in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
- Serve. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and garnish with additional fresh herbs, if you'd like.
Lisa’s Tips
- Storage tip: Since this recipe is meant to be chilled, don’t leave it out at room temperature for more than two hours. Otherwise, store it in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. It’s a great meal prep salad for lunch!
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published May 2020, but updated with new photos, information and tips for your benefit!
Very good! I added a apple 🍎 for added taste. That’s what is so great about this recipe, you can add more of what you like and less of what you don’t, but this is a great recipe to leave alone or add extras too. Enjoy!
Apples are always a great addition to chicken salads! Glad you enjoyed this recipe :)
I am looking forward to making this recipe. If you substitute Greek yogurt for mayo, what kind do you recommend?
Any Greek yogurt will do!
OMG! Just finished making this. I have to say this is no doubt the best chicken salad I have ever tasted or made!
Happy to hear you love this chicken salad recipe so much!
I would have to agree the ultimate chicken salad is the bomb
Glad you love this chicken salad Derrick!
This is such a delicious chicken salad. Do yourselves a favor…looking for a great chicken salad recipe,?Then stop your search here – it won’t get any better than this. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and so, so much more.
Happy to hear you enjoyed this chicken salad recipe so much Jeanette!
Delicious!!
I added jicama and increased the vege content.
Love the idea of adding jicama for added veggie :)
How many servings are in this recipe?
There are 6 servings in this recipe. You can always find the serving amount written in the recipe card :)
Made this last night… So Yummy!!! 😍
Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad Denise!
Made this several times now, it so so incredible and such a hit with thr family. Only thing is I could not figure out how much was a proper serving size according to the recipes nutritional facts. I’m eating according to my Marcos. If you can comment how much a portion is, that would be wonderful! Thank you for this delicious recipe
Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad Celeste! The serving size I say is about 3/4 cup, depending on how big your chicken breasts are.
The best!!!! And the tarragon takes it to another level!!!
This recipe has a lot of potential. I followed exactly and made no substitutions. This called for way too much lemon juice, it was much too tarte and the liquid made it soupy. I think it would be great with only a splash of lemon (a tsp at most).
Hi Miranda – it sounds like your lemon may have been on the extra large side. You can certainly reduce the amount of lemon juice to your liking though.
I made the chicken salad and love it.
Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad recipe Anne :)
Hello there the ingredients r very similar to those included in a chkn salad sold at Whole Foods where I live …… ur recipe gave me notion I can save money and make it cheaper than Wht I pay for a quart here
I’m making ur recipe for holiday… l love chkn salad and yours sounds divine ……thank you
Just made this today- as with all of your recipes- this one did not disappoint! Thank youuuuu!
Glad this chicken salad was a winner Amanda!
Excellent summer salad 🥗
Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad Lynn!
Made it with apples and red onion–yum! The gluten free bread you use in video looks great. Do you have that recipe? Or, if bought, what brand & type is it?
I always buy the brand Canyon Bakehouse :)
I bought Costco chicken salad and added much of your recipe ingredients: celery, onions, Dijon mustard, a mix of Italian parsley and a little fresh rosemary from my garden, sliced grapes, lemon pepper and a bit of Kosher salt. So good and ready in 20 minutes.
The perfect additions to amp up a plain chicken salad :)
Changed something and added salad to with blue berries, cranberries pecans! The flavors were bursting!
Love those additions! Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad Emily :)
I had Chicken Salad yesterday at a well- known restaurant & it didn’t come close to the flavor & goodness of this recipe. The only modifications I make are to marinate the chicken & grill it slightly before baking it and to use Pomegranate seeds instead of grapes. Delicious!
Wow! Glad to hear you love this chicken salad recipe :)
This was really good. I used chopped dried cherries, extra toasted almonds, and tripled the mustard. I also replaced half the mayo with Greek yogurt. Even my husband, who hates chicken salad, has asked me to make it again. Awesome!
Happy to hear even the picky eaters enjoyed this recipe Larissa!
Delicious light summer meal! I modified just the mayo since I am AIP paleo and it turned out great. Is the nutrition information you shared per serving and what is the serving size?
The nutritional information will always be per serving :)
Absolutely the best chicken salad my husband and I have ever had. We’re from the south and in our 60’s and have had a lot of chicken salads to date so that’s saying something. Those particular spices and all the ingredients are perfect!
Wow, happy to hear you’ve found a winning chicken salad recipe :)
I didn’t have the spices she called for. I used parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Pecans instead of almonds. It still turned out terrific!
Glad this still turned out perfectly Darlene :)
I used onion instead of green onion, apple instead of grapes. Top it off with a liberal sprinkle of old bay seasoning. Yummy
Oh along with regular salt I added rock salt for the element of surprise!
Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad Edster :)
This is one of my favorite chicken salad. I lperfect for a summer meal.My one observation though, the prep time is way, way off. you have to poach the chickencool it off chop the chicken, celery, green onion nuts. and finally make the dressing. much longer than the stated 15 minutes
Thanks for the heads up Jeanette! I will be sure to adjust the timing on that
You’re recipe is so good and delicious.
Thank you very much.
Glad you enjoy this chicken salad Tony :)
How much of this is a serving?
Hi Felicia – Each serving is about 3/4 cup.
This Chicken salad was exceptional! Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was so easy and very tasty!
Happy to hear you loved this chicken salad recipe Tracy!
We made this chicken salad with your homemade mayonnaise. Served this for brunch, and it was a fabulous hit! The tarragon is a must. Love your channel.
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed this for brunch Mark :)
Can I use dill instead if I don’t have tarragon?
How long does this last in the fridge?
Cant wait to try it!!!
Yes, you can substitute in any tender herb. And there’s storage guidelines in the post above. :) Hope you enjoy it!
Made this for dinner this evening. Soooo good! I didn’t have any tarragon on hand and used red onions. Best chicken salad recipe I have had so far and I have tried quite a few. Thanks for sharing!
Happy to hear this is one of the best chicken salad recipes you’ve had Twana!
I made this for a brunch event I was doing. I put it on croissants and got rave reviews. It was a little saucy for my taste so I would probably reduce the mayonnaise. Also to make it healthier I would put half Greek yogurt and half mayonnaise next time but I was trying to keep it dairy free. All in all an excellent recipe and I will keep it!
Wonderful! Glad this chicken salad was a winner for your brunch event.
This is soooo delicious! And on toasted pitta 😋
Sounds great on toasted pita! Glad you enjoyed this Jan :)
Are the measurements accurate or was there a misprint? 2lbs of chicken breast? Not 2 chicken breasts? 2lbs of chicken breast seems like an awful lot
You will need about 2 pounds of raw chicken for this recipe :) You can watch the video to see how I make my chicken.
Just finished eating some for lunch over mixed greens with Crunchmaster crackers (have you tried those? they’re amazing!). This is a great recipe, and I agree about the tarragon. I have used it in chicken salads before, but not recently, and I happen to have some Mexican tarragon growing in an herb pot. Don’t use too much though! It’s strong. I was a little surprised at the use of mustard and lemon with the sweet grapes, but they compliment perfectly. Thanks for the recipe! by the way, I think you’re a little generous with the servings – I made half the recipe and it will give us 6 servings easily.
Made it tonight for dinner and loved it so much! Thank you! :)
I didn’t have tarragon though.
Glad you still enjoyed this one without tarragon!
I made this today and it was fantastic. I used dried tarragon and no spring onion – still tasted great.
Glad this still turned out great aside from the missing spring onion!
I made this recipe on the weekend and I ate for lunch and dinner two days in a row! 😂 It is the best chicken salad recipe ever! The tarragon definitely gives it that something extra. I poached the chicken in my slow cooker and it was so tender. I will definitely make this again and hopefully share it with friends when we can dine together – hopefully soon 🙏 . Thanks Lisa!
The tarragon really is the secret ingredient in this Libby :) Can’t wait for all your friends to try this one.
What a terrible recipe, first most people will burn the almond slivers, they’re fine just putting them in. Ditch the green onion, red onion is a little less potent, and 3rd!! The secret is dog crap, please for the love of god don’t add tarragon!!! Thanks for listening
Hi Benjamin – Sorry you didn’t love this recipe. No, sliced almonds won’t burn if you toast them lightly and I have full confidence that my readers can manage that. Green onion is actually less astringent than red onion (especially the green portions). And it’s a shame you don’t love tarragon. As you can see from the hundreds of positive reviews on this recipe most do love it (it pairs beautifully with chicken). Hope you have a more positive day than it seems you’re having!
Delicious!! I didn’t even have the tarragon and I modified the dressing using half mayo and half greek yogurt with the dijon. I made a roaster chichen for the week with thoughts of making different recipes, I loved this so much I never got around to trying out new recipes and eating this instead! I also am not a fan of grapes but I love the taste of these in salad.
Happy to hear you love this chicken salad recipe so much! The grapes add just the right amount of sweetness :)
One of my fav chicken salad recipes!! & trust me I’ve tried a lot of them. I use Primal Kitchen paleo mayo, and sub out red grapes for dried cranberries since I’m not a red grape kind of gal. It’s great mixture of tart and savory. Love making these for lunches & serving over salad mix or sandwhich thins.
Happy to hear this chicken salad recipe ranks high for you Ashlynn! It’s definitely a versatile dish!
Wow! Found this chicken salad recipe on a whim as I had a Rotisserie chicken that I needed to do some thing with. I don’t think that I will make chicken salad any different from now on! This recipe is absolutely fabulous!
Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad!
Hate fruit with meat..so left it out. HOWEVER for sweetness and a kick, added 2tbsp horseradish sauce. Divoon! Everything else according to recipe. Thank you.
What’s the serving size?
Hi Kay – It’s about 3/4 cup.
This is the best chicken salad I’ve ever made! The mustard and lemon especially give it a real zip, and the toasted almonds gave it some crunch. I had some older grapes in need of using up, so this was a perfect way to use them,
Wonderful! I’m thrilled you loved the recipe, Katharine!
I would like to know if the Ultimate Chicken Salad Nutrition info is for 6 or for 1 serving
thank you very much , Anna
PS. love your cooking …………:)
CALORIES: 524kcal, CARBOHYDRATES: 10g, PROTEIN: 36g, FAT: 38g, SATURATED FAT: 6g, CHOLESTEROL: 112mg, SODIUM: 454mg, POTASSIUM: 782mg, FIBER: 3g, SUGAR: 6g, VITAMIN A: 318iu, VITAMIN C: 15mg, CALCIUM: 61mg, IRON: 1mg
Hi Anna – the nutritional information will always be per serving!
I tried this recipe for the first time the other day and I loved it!! Will definitely be making it again!! Thank you for sharing the recipe! :)
Glad you loved this one Heather!
I used 2/3 light mayo and 1/3 non-fat plain greek yogurt. This came out great, my picky husband LOVED it in between two slices of wheat bread. I had mine just as is. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Happy to hear this even satisfied the picky eaters!
Fantastic recipe! I have made it several times now and poaching the chicken is the way to get the best juicy chicken for chicken salad. Highly recommend swapping the dijon for 2 tablespoons of sour cream. It amps up the velvety texture. I also add in 1 teaspoon of honey and use pecans instead of almonds. Divine, divine.
Happy to hear your chicken salad was a success Ava!
Absolutely delicious and you are right about the tarragon! Definitely the secret ingredient. How long does the chicken broth keep in the fridge? Thank you!
This will keep between 4-5 days in the fridge :)
I have tried it out, and it turns out delicious. Thank you Lisa.
Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad Maryam!