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 personally just love the pop of vibrant color the red grapes 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 TIP
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.
Recipe originally published May 2020, but updated with new information and tips.
Really good flavors blend together well.
Thanks Kaylee!
I just made this so we could take it to the park on a sunny day with us as part of a picnic near the the Lake ! Perfect for Labor Day weekend!! Put it in our cooler and went! My spouse and I absolutely loved it! What great food to serve at our going to a beach! Not many people there! It was delightful and delicious! Thank you for posting this! I have been a true follower of you and your recipes!
Glad this chicken salad made your picnic extra special :)
wondered if next time, since I absolutely love love celery seed, could I put it at the end before I add the almonds? thank you
lise
Yes, no problem!
I am making this amazing chicken salad for the 2nd time. This time I am making 2.5 days ahead of time. Should I mix the toasted almonds in just before serving? Thanks
Hi Cathy – yes, I’d wait until just before serving to add the almonds. Enjoy!
Definitly my favorite chicken salad ! This is sooooo good ! The red grapes are surprising in this receipe but they give so much flavour !
I’m adding some potatoes sometimes to make a complete meal.
Love the idea of adding potatoes! Glad you love this one Pauline :)
Hello Lisa,
My name is. Anita , and i am new to your channels. Thank you, for sharing your recipes to everyone in the world. I appreciate you.
Hi Anita! Thanks for leaving a kind comment and hope you continue to enjoy Downshiftology recipes to come :)
Where can I purchase tarragon? Is there a substitute that I use instead?
You should be able to purchase tarragon at any market! Otherwise, you can just omit it.
Thank you for this delicious recipe. Tonight was my second time making it within two weeks. I didn’t change a thing. Served it on toasted buns with a side of pasta salad. My family loved it.
Sounds amazing! Happy to hear the whole family loved it, Kathy.
Hi I am going to give this a bash for our summer party (30 people). I was hoping to mix in some iceburg lettuce, would this be possible? Or would it go a bit soggy?
You could do that! Iceberg will hold up fairly well.
Hello Lisa, I am new to you channel my name is Anita, i was wondering can you utilize tarragon that has already been bottled, or must it be fresh for best results ?
If you only have bottled, that’s fine!
This recipe is our favorite! I’ve made it many times. We love putting it a croissant. Sooo good!
I’m sure this tastes amazing in a croissant!
Superb. Made exactly as instructed but used pecan pieces instead of almonds per your sanctioned suggestion. I did throw in a handful of cut up dried cranberries because….why not? They were in my fridge screaming why not me, too? Holy Moly – I didn’t even bother with bread. Why mess with perfection?
There’s always room for a few more ingredients in this salad! Glad you enjoyed it :)
This was so good! The only changes I made were omitting the grapes, just because I didn’t have any, and used Greek yogurt instead of the mayonnaise. This was fantastic. Don’t skip on the almonds though. I think they’re a deal breaker. They were perfect in the there!
Happy to hear this salad was a hit, Brenda!
My family LOVES this chicken salad! It is so delicious and easy to prepare. I highly recommend you try it and make it. You will not be disappointed.
Happy to hear you and your family is loving this chicken salad recipe, Kathy!
The flavors…muahhh!!
Used Greek yogurt instead of mayo….perfection!
So happy you loved the chicken salad, Stephanie!
I was looking at the nutritional information. Is that per serving or for 6 servings?
The nutritional information will always be per serving.
I made this for dinner last night and we loved it. I served it in romaine lettuce, and we also had some baby carrots.
Love how you served it, Vicky. Sounds delicious!
Can you help me adjust this recipe for 30 people? Would I just x it by 4? Thank You!
If you have 30 people, I think x4 should be okay, unless you want leftovers!
Very delicious! However I made too much! Can I freeze it?
It’s best not to freeze this since it has mayo in it.
Gluten and Dairy Free??!!! :-)
Yep :)
Maybe this was personal preference, but the mayo was way too much. I cut it way down, but it overwhelmed the flavors. So I added curry and mango chutney to change the flavor entirely.
Hi Liz – I actually have a recipe for a mango curry chicken salad in my cookbook! You’ll have to check that out. :)
My wife’s reaction to the taste of the salad, after she tried a bit: “… wonderful! I can taste each ingredient one after the other. What a combination!”
My new favorite chicken salad! Love sweet and savory blend with good crunch factor. Husband loves it! Win win!
So glad you’re loving this chicken salad Rita!
This was my first time making chicken salad but I have to say it turned out so good. My family loved it so much I’m getting ready to make it again because it’s all gone. Thank you for the recipe it was amazing. I love Greek chicken salad, I’m making that next.
Glad your first time making chicken salad was a success Lorraine!
Unbelievably delicious!!!!
I made it as published and it was delish!
Super good! I didn’t have fresh herbs available but the dried ones from the spice rack worked great! And I ended up shredding my chicken with my hand made mixer to save time and it was a big hit! My toddler and husband loved it so ..winning!
Before making the Ultimate Chicken Salad, I’d had a sealed bottle of tarragon in my spice cabinet purchased for another recipe that I never got around to making. Later, I just didn’t know what to do with it.
The tarragon makes this recipe for me, and now it feels like something is missing if I try to make chicken salad without it. This recipe is on regular rotation at my house. I usually sub toasted pecans for the almonds since we are surrounded by pecan trees here. My fave chicken salad EVER! Thanks, Lisa!
It truly is the secret ingredient to the best chicken salad ever!
I do make a couple changes, so I’m not truly reviewing the recipe as is. I do not use the tarragon or the mustard, and I add bacon. But other than that, it’s a GREAT recipe. So delicious. I love the lemon – adds such a great flavor to the recipe. It’s a hit in our house!
Always feel free to tweak the recipe to your liking! I’m happy you love it, Jill. :)
AMAZING. I substituted 3/4 of mayo with plain greek yogurt and added celery seed. Switched almonds for walnuts and added dried cranberries!! YUMMMM
Thank you Lisa for the recipe, a pure delight.
Thank you for your generosity.
Glad you enjoyed this chicken salad!
This is one of the most delicious chicken salads! I always have chicken in the fridge to use up during the week, so this was perfect for that. What really makes it delicious is the tarragon. It adds a subtle herby flavor that pairs so nicely with the pop of sweetness from the grapes. I used toasted pecans and the whole thing came together perfectly. My new favorite for sure!
The tarragon really helps to tie it all together :) But great idea on using pecans as well!
Delicious!! Didn’t have tarragon, so I added dried dill. 👍
Glad this recipe still worked out with Dill!
Oh my goodness!! This is OUTRAGEOUSLY delicious!! My husband is swooning over it and showing it off at work to his colleagues!! I used special mayo that doesn’t have sugar, and also found that it was especially yummy when warm!! So I’ve been heating it up since we made it. We doubled the recipe – it was a lot of chopping but just got a mini food processor the day after so hopefully next time will be quick! Thanks so much, Lisa!!! I have gluten, dairy and sugar intolerances so your recipes are a complete godsend!! I hope you release your book in UK metric measurements soon! :o)
How funny! I’m so glad you and your husband are loving this chicken salad amongst many others.
Best chicken salad ever!! I added 4c celery, 3c grapes cut in 1/4’s. The fresh terragon really made the difference.
This is downright PERFECT! I left out the parsley(not a fan) and had to use dried tarragon, and it was still amazing. YUM
I’m so glad you enjoyed this chicken salad Melissa!
This is absolutely the best chicken salad recipe ever! Since finding it, it’s the only one I use. The flavors are amazing-It’s got the perfect hint of sweetness and great crunch!
I’m so thrilled you love it, Steph!
I made this for 12 ladies. Was soooo good! Definitely worth all the work (chopping). I did everything exactly in recipe plus added a half of a large organic honey crisp (or pink lady) apple and some pieces of walnuts. Everyone raved at how good this recipe is. Can’t wait to try it again. Yum.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed this chicken salad Cyndi!
Did you double the recipe to feed 12?
Wow
This is a great recipe. I made it for my bible study group. We had a tea party I made this chicken salad with the homemade mayonnaise recipe of course, and served it on mini croissants. They ate them all. Thanks for the great recipe. It has just enough sweetness from the grapes and crunch from the almonds. I also like the hint of tarragon.
Glad this chicken salad worked out great for your group!
Amazing! This is my go to recipe.
Yay, love to hear that!
I made this for lunch this week! Awesome salad! Love the sweetness of the red grapes and I love the tarragon taste!
AMAZING. MADE WITH ROTISSERIE CHICKEN.
OMG delicious!!! I just added a bit of pepp-ricot preserves (appricot/jalapeño jam) to kick it up a notch from my local Ralph’s market. Put it all on a fresh croissant.
That sounds delicious! Glad you’re loving this chicken salad recipe.
Best chicken salad ever!!! No other recipe even compares to this one.
Yay, happy you love it!
I’m going to make this recipe to take for lunch at work and I was wondering how long this would stay fresh if kept in the fridge, so I know if this is viable as a meal prep recipe
I normally have storage instructions written in the post! But, this will last between 3 to 5 days.
Only 5 stars?! No, this is a 10! Gollll-eeeee, the blend of exciting flavors…really good. Bright and tangy! Ohh, yum. I did it with ground pecans, and tossed in some Maldon salt. Made some fresh focaccia to serve with it, and added some arugula, in case ya need even more tang! Delish! Will put into my regular rotation. :-)
I’m so glad you’re loving this chicken salad recipe Dana!!
Hi Lisa! I took this salad to church fellowship for serving in baked tart shells. Everyone, adults and children LOVED it. I was shocked to turn around and the bowl for self serve was empty. It’s versatile too, because I added a tiny bit of heat and doubled the grapes. Thank you so much!!
OMG!! This is over the top delicious!! It will definitely be a regular go to recipe for me.
Yay, happy you loved the recipe, Cindi!
Quick question: how many servings are in this recipe if used for sandwiches? Looking to make for a wedding luncheon. Thanks!
Can avocado oil mayo be used instead of regular mayo?
Yes, no problem.
2 nd time making this deliciousness. It is definitely in rotation weekly.
Glad you’re loving this chicken salad Ann :)
Made this with some left over oven roasted chicken breasts. Replaced grapes with gala apple. Absolutely delicious!
Happy to hear you enjoyed this chicken salad Ann!
I used rotisserie turkey and added small cubes of cheddar cheese. Amazing!!