World’s best chicken salad recipe (with grapes and pickles)
This homemade chicken salad is easy to make, and tastes amazing! It puts a fun twist on the classic chicken salad, with grapes, sweet pickles, and dill. It is sure to become a family favorite in no time and have all your friends asking for the recipe!
Ah, chicken salad, that good old, easy-to-make, classic dish, or sandwich I should say, that most of us have been eating ever since we were little. Honestly, I can’t remember how many times I ate a chicken salad sandwich for lunch, but I can remember we made the most boring chicken salad in the world. Just mayo and chicken, occasionally some salt or something, but nine out of ten times it was just mayo with shredded chicken. And needless to say, I wasn’t a huge fan.
I had tried many chicken salads throughout the years, from ones with apples, and red onion, to homemade chicken salads, and store-bought sandwiches, to the chicken salad our local restaurant chain used to sell, which I still miss to this day.
But I wasn’t really a fan of any of them, till one day we went to someone’s bridal shower and they served an amazing chicken salad. One that was delicious, one that made me realize for the first time why chicken salad is such a loved and classic dish. It was amazing, but it wasn’t quite perfect. Faster forward a few years and this recipe was born, with it the best chicken salad you’ll ever eat. It’s the perfect combination, of sweet and savory flavors with just the right amount of tang, and the perfect crunch to finish it off!
Today there are a million and one chicken salad recipes out there, and I’m sure you have tried and even loved many of them. There is anything from dill pickle chicken salad to apple and pecan chicken salad, to buffalo chicken salad. But I can honestly say this is the best chicken salad recipe, ever. And the only chicken salad you’ll ever need to make. So please, please this is a try, bring it on your get picnic or to your next potluck. Make it for the perfect lunch today, or serve it as a quick and easy weeknight supper. Whatever you do, be sure to give this a try, and print the recipe, you’ll be surprised by how many people ask you for the recipe!
How to make chicken salad with pickles
ingredients.
- Chopped or shredded chicken. You can use chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or legs. Rotisserie chicken also works great as does pretty much any leftover chicken.
- Red grapes
- Green onions
- Celery
- Bread and Butter pickles –you can also use dill pickles, but the salad won’t be as sweet
- Dill weed
- Parsley
- Mayonnaise, homemade or from the grocery store
- Sour cream
- Lemon juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions.
If you are using raw chicken, fry it on low heat in butter with salt and pepper until cooked through. Allow the chicken to cool completely or even sit in the fridge overnight before preparing your salad
Shred the chicken, or chop it into bite-sized pieces and place it in a large bowl. Add everything but the mayo and sour cream, and mix well, making sure that everything has been coated in the seasoning.
Add the mayo and sour cream, and mix well.
Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Allow the chicken salad to chill for 1-2 hours before serving.
Enjoy!
Notes
The chicken salad can be eaten imminently, but it tastes best when it has been allowed to chill.
Chicken salad will last for 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
This is a great recipe for meal prep, you can easily make the chicken salad at the start of the week, then either make sandwiches or leave it as is, for quick and easy lunches throughout the week!
serving, substitutions, and additional add-ins
There are many different ways to serve this chicken salad, few are ways to try!
- Between two slices of bread, for a classic chicken salad sandwich
- Topped with cheddar cheese and fried until perfectly crisp and golden (my favorite way to eat it!)
- Make lettuce wraps with it for an easy gluten-free/ low carb option
- Serve it over a bed of lettuce, for a true chicken salad:)
Easy substitutions you can use in a pinch or to better suit your eating habits.
- Plain Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream
- Fresh dill can be used in place of dill weed
- Sweet relish can be used in a pinch in place of the bread and butter pickles. You can also use dill pickles, you’ll still have an amazing chicken salad, but the flavor won’t be quite the same.
- Miracle whip can be used in place of mayo, though it will make the salad slightly sweeter.
And if you’re looking to switch things up even more, try adding some of these!
- Cream cheese, add a couple of tablespoons of softened cream cheese to give this recipe a super creamy texture.
- Red bell pepper
- Tomato slices
- Garlic powder, for added flavor
- Sweet pickle juice, for some added tang
World’s best Chicken Salad with grapes and pickles
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups chopped or shredded chicken(roughly measured) You can use chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or legs. Rotisserie chicken also works great as does pretty much any leftover chicken.
- 1-1 1/2 cups red grapes washed and halved
- 3 green onions sliced
- 2 celery stalks washed and sliced
- 1/4 cup bread and butter pickles diced
- 2 tbsp dill weed
- 5 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise homemade or from the grocery store
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp lemon juice roughly one lemon
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you are using raw chicken, fry it on low heat in butter with salt and pepper until cooked through. Allow the chicken to cool completely or even sit in the fridge overnight before preparing your salad
- Place the shredded or chopped chicken it in a large bowl.
- Add everything but the mayo and sour cream, and mix well, making sure that everything has been coated in the seasoning.
- Add the mayo and sour cream, and mix well.
- The chicken salad can be eaten imminently, OR covered and chilled in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving.
- Enjoy!
Best chicken salad ever!!