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Easy Chicken Salad Recipe with Apples and Grapes

You’ll love this EASY chicken salad recipe with apples! Not only is my apple walnut chicken salad recipe simple, but it’s got ALL of the flavors you want in a meal – tender chicken (try my sous vide shredded chicken), crunchy apples and walnuts, sweet grapes, and a creamy dressing. A great make-ahead meal, you can take this chicken salad with apples on-the-go in so many ways, it’s incredibly versatile, and I’ve shared 7 ways to eat it below. Naturally gluten-free, this chicken salad recipe with grapes works for almost anyone.

Chicken salads are the ultimate meal prep item because once you make them you can easily eat them in different ways (see my list!) and if you love them as much as I do, be sure to try my rotisserie chicken salad, pesto chicken salad, and cherry chicken pasta salad next.

Chicken salad with apples sandwich with potato chips

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

What You’ll Love about Apple Walnut Chicken Salad Recipe

  • Easy-to-make
  • Sweet, salty, and crunchy flavors
  • Great to meal prep or make-ahead
  • Versatile – so many ways to enjoy it
  • Nutritious and filling
Ingredients to make apple walnut chicken salad recipe

Ingredients to Make Chicken Salad with Apples

This apple walnut chicken salad recipe is made with 9 basic ingredients, many of them pantry staples:

  • Shredded chicken – Use sous vide shredded chicken, cooked chicken breast, rotisserie chicken, grilled, baked, or even buy shredded chicken at the store that’s ready-to-go.
  • Mayonnaise – I prefer full-fat mayo, but use whatever variety you prefer.
  • Plain yogurt – Regular yogurt works better here than Greek yogurt, but if you have trouble finding it you could use plain Greek yogurt. Thin it down a bit with a splash of milk so it’s a similar consistency to regular yogurt.
  • Dijon mustard – Whole grain mustard would also work well.
  • Red seedless grapes – You can use red grapes or green grapes.
  • Apples – Use any variety of apple that you like that’s nice and crunchy.
  • Celery – Look for green (not white) celery for best flavor.
  • Walnuts – Buy toasted walnuts or toast them yourself. You can also switch up the nuts and use pecans, almonds, or your favorite.
  • Chives – Look for deep green chives.
  • Black pepper
Ingredients to make chicken salad recipe with grapes and apples

How to Make Chicken Salad Recipe with Apples

Lets make this chicken salad recipe with grapes and apples!

  • Prep ingredients. Cook chicken if necessary. Cut grapes, walnuts, apples, celery, and chives.
  • Mix together dressing. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, yogurt, Dijon mustard, and black pepper. Add sea salt to taste.
  • Mix apple chicken salad. To the bowl with dressing, add shredded chicken, walnuts, grapes, celery, and chives. Toss together until mixed well and chill chicken mixture.
  • Serve. Add additional sea salt and black pepper to taste and serve as desired. (See my list of ideas below!)
Chicken salad with apples and grapes in a mixing bowl

Frequently Asked Questions

Is chicken salad gluten-free?

It will depend on the recipe. This shredded chicken salad with apples is made with naturally gluten-free ingredients, but you’ll always want to check to be sure.

Why is chicken salad bad for you?

What?! NO. There are no bad questions, but I don’t even feel this one necessary to answer.

Hands holding chicken salad with apples sandwich

Storage Instructions

Store any leftover apple walnut chicken salad recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Will chicken salad freeze well?

No, chicken salad does not freeze well as both yogurt and mayonnaise can change texture during the freezing and thawing process.

You can always cut the recipe in half if need-be.

How to Serve Chicken Salad with Grapes to the Whole Family

I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Young kids don’t always love food mixed together so meals like chicken salad recipe with grapes, apples, and nuts may be too much for them. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t serve it, you still should! Just start with a tiny portion so that you don’t waste much if they aren’t into it.

Here’s an example of how I served it to my 4 and 6 year old. (And for the record, one ate it and one didn’t!)

Bento box lunch with apple walnut chicken salad recipe

All of my articles on feeding kids can be found here and if you want a FULL list of all of the videos I have with hacks, tips, scripts, and ideas for feeding kids, check out my instagram or tiktok page.

Substitutes + Nutrition

If you want to swap out any of the ingredients and toppings, here are a few ways you can add even more nutrition into this meal:

  • Dairy-free – Use your favorite dairy-free yogurt in place of the yogurt.
  • Gluten-free – This easy chicken salad recipe with grapes and apples is naturally gluten-free, no need to swap anything out.

What to Serve with Apple Walnut Chicken Salad

Wondering what to serve chicken salad on? There are so many ways to serve this easy chicken salad with apples, here are a few ideas:

  • Sandwich – A chicken apple salad sandwich is an obvious choice! Use your favorite bread, rolls, or croissants and add some salad greens or lettuce if desired.
  • Snack Plate – Make your own chicken salad snack plate with some crackers or pita bread, celery sticks, fruit, and some nuts.
  • Lettuce cups – Use butter or bibb lettuce leaves and top with healthy chicken salad with apples for a lettuce wrap.
  • Crackers – Scoop it up with your favorite crackers.
  • Wrap – Wrap up a scoop of easy chicken salad with grapes and some salad greens in a large flour or whole wheat tortilla.
  • Grain bowl – Top cooked grains like quinoa or a short pasta like macaroni with chicken salad and salad greens.
  • Salad – Simply top a bed of lettuce with some of this apple walnut chicken salad recipe and add extra veggies like sliced cucumber, grape tomatoes, and shredded carrots if desired.
Chicken salad with grapes in a bowl with crackers

More Easy Lunch Recipes

If you love this homemade chicken salad with apples recipe, you might also like some of these other easy lunch recipes:

Helpful Tools to Make Chicken Salad Recipe with Grapes

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Chicken salad with apples sandwich with potato chips

Easy Chicken Salad Recipe with Apples and Grapes

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Description

Make this chicken salad recipe with apples, walnuts, and grapes in just 10 min! It’s easy, healthy, and super delicious with fruit + nuts.ย 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups shredded chicken (cooked)ย 
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup plain yogurt (regular, not Greek)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepperย 
  • 1 cup halved or quartered purple grapes
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnut halvesย 
  • 1 cup chopped apples (about 1/2 large apple)
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1/4 cup sliced chives
  • bread, crackers, lettuce for serving


Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, Dijon mustard, remaining sea salt, and black pepper.
  2. Add the shredded chicken, walnuts, grapes, celery, and chives to the bowl with the dressing. Toss to coat and chill until serving.ย 
  3. Season with additional sea salt and black pepper if desired.


Notes

  • Serving size: 1 cup
  • Makes about 6 cups
  • 3 cups shredded chicken is about 1 1/2 lbs. raw chicken breast

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