Poppyseed Chicken Salad With Grapes and Almonds
This Poppyseed Chicken Salad made with grapes and almonds makes a delicious, quick meal. Serve a scoop of this salad in a variety of ways for the perfect light lunch, a special occasion or for meal prep!
When the weather starts to warm up and my family is spending more and more time outside, I'm always searching for recipes that are quick and easy to allow more time for fun! This chicken salad recipe is so easy to throw together and keeps in the refrigerator for a quick meal!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick & easy - this salad comes together quickly and is one of those dishes that gets better when made ahead of time. No stove or oven needed!
- Great texture - the different components of this salad from the crunchy celery to the creamy dressing work together so nicely to create a fun dish to enjoy.
- Perfect for a crowd - this recipe can easily be scaled to feed a crowd for a delicious potluck dish! Perfect for an event like a baby shower, graduation party or summer BBQ!
Ingredient Notes
- Cooked chicken - make your own, use a leftover rotisserie or even canned chicken. Shredded chicken would also work for this, but I prefer the chunks for this salad.
- Red onion - for a little bite
- Celery - a must-have in any chicken salad. Adds the perfect amount of crunch & flavor.
- Dried cranberries - adds a another texture to the salad along with a hint of sweet & tart
- Sliced almonds - one of my favorite things about this salad is all of the different textures. Sliced almonds give another layer of crunch. Slivered almonds could also be used.
- Red grapes - they add another layer of sweetness and color to the salad. Green grapes could also be used, but I love the color the red grapes give the salad.
- Homemade poppyseed dressing - this easy dressing is the perfect combination of sweet and tangy that pairs wonderfully with the other salad ingredients. This dressing is great to use on other summer salads, too!
How To Make It
- Dice & chop salad ingredients - combine the chicken, celery, onion, cranberries, almonds and grapes in a mixing bowl.
- Make the poppyseed dressing - in a small bowl whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and mix to thoroughly coat.
- Chill - if possible, I'd recommend assembling the salad and allowing it to sit the fridge for a couple hours before serving. This will allow the dressing to soak into the chicken and other ingredients.
- Serve - there are a variety of ways to serve this chicken salad. Keep scrolling to check out my ideas!
Serving Tips
I love having this salad in the fridge to create a quick & easy lunch or light dinner. Different options for serving this chicken salad include:
- Bread - dinner roll, croissant, pita or good ol' sandwich bread. I love those Hawaiian dinner rolls that are slightly sweet. They work great with this salad!
- Wrap - a simple tortilla or wrap
- Lettuce wrap - butter lettuce provides the perfect sized leaves for a carb-free lettuce wrap option. Rinse leaves under cold water, pat dry and lay out on a plate & top with a scoop of salad.
- Chopped lettuce - this salad would work as a topping for a bed of lettuce for an easy salad
- Crackers - top crackers with a scoop of salad for a quick snack or appetizer option
Food Safety Tip: with a mayo-based salad like this one, it should not be left out of the fridge for more than 2 hours. If your picnic is on a hot summer day, the time decreases to 1 hour. Please keep this in mind with all cold deli salads!
FAQ
Sure! In a pinch, I've used a store-bought dressing to coat the chicken salad and it's still turned out delicious! While the homemade dressing is easy & delicious, don't be ashamed to use store-bought ingredients when you need to!
The salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. This makes it a great option for meal prep. Whip up a batch and have a lunch to look forward to for days to come! Just give the salad a good stir before serving.
Raisins will still give the salad it's chewy component, but you will be missing the tartness the dried cranberries give to the salad. This can be a matter of preference.
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Chicken Salad with Grapes and Apples
Ingredients
Method
- In a large bowl. combine all the salad ingredients and mix well.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together poppy seed dressing ingredients. Pour over chicken salad and stir to coat well.
- Cover and refrigerate salad for at least an hour to develop flavors. Serve on bread, in a wrap or on a lettuce leaf.
