As Spring approaches, I find myself reaching for meals and side dishes that aren’t so heavy on the gut. Food that is quick, nourishing and light. Chicken Grape Salad is a crunchy, sweet, cold salad. Because this dish is packed with protein, it can be eaten as the main course for lunch, or as a light spring dinner. Alternatively, it can be served as an easy spring side dish for Easter dinner. Furthermore, not only is this easy-to-prepare Chicken Grape Salad wonderful served as a BBQ side dish, but it will make you the star of any cookout or potluck you bring it to.
If you skip to the end of this post to get to the recipe as soon as possible, I won’t mind one bit. It’s that good!
How Chicken Grape Salad Became World Famous
Is there an easy side dish in your family that is requested over and over again? It’s the dish that every time there is a potluck or BBQ, someone requests you bring it. You become well known, almost famous for this dish. Enter in Chicken Grape Salad. I have to admit, this simple side dish is not my recipe. This is my dear uncle-in-law’s recipe.
Uncle Dave is well known for his hospitality. In fact, as a young teenager, I learned a lot of my hospitality skills from him. Much can be learned from watching how people serve others and Uncle Dave is exceptional at this. Uncle Dave is always feeding people. Even when life left him with barely anything to give, he would invite you to have a seat and then open his fridge or cupboard and give what he had. Not only are his offerings gracious, but he serves others before himself.
Uncle Dave is equally known for his cooking. His dishes are routinely requested for potlucks, graduations, summer BBQ’s and family parties.
You can depend on Uncle Dave’s dishes for being hearty and generous. He has a flair for combining ingredients in ways that you might not consider. So when he introduced the family to Chicken Grape Salad, it became ‘World Famous’.
Or at least it should be!
Why You Need This Easy Side Dish At Your Next Cookout
There are several reasons why you need to bring Chicken Grape Salad as a side dish to your next cookout or BBQ. For starters, this salad is an easy side dish to put together. Not only does it use common ingredients for the salad, but also for the sauce. It comes together quick and stores very well in the refrigerator.
Because this salad is mainly chicken based, it is full of protein, which fills you up. This makes it a great option for a light spring or summer dinner. See my tips below on how to serve this as a dinner option.
Chicken Grape Salad uses healthy, refreshing ingredients like celery and grapes. Add in the chopped pecans and you have a crunchy, sweet, savory party in your mouth.
How To Make Chicken Grape Salad
Chicken grape salad requires common ingredients with a simple sauce to bind it together. You can easily double or triple this recipe to feed a crowd at a potluck or for a side dish at your next summer BBQ. And don’t forget this recipe when planning side dishes for your Easter dinner.
Ingredients:
- 2 Chicken breasts
- 1 C Red or purple seedless grapes
- 1/4 C Pecans halves
- 1/2 C Celery
- 1 Small onion
- 1 C Mayonnaise
- 1/2 C Sour Cream
- 1 tsp. Sugar
- 1 tsp. Seasoned Salt
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Meanwhile, place your chicken breasts on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Then bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink inside.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and cool completely. Once cooled, dice into 1/2″ cubes and set aside.
- Now you will prepare the rest of your salad ingredients. Using a sharp knife, cut the grapes in half, or quarters, depending on the size of the grapes. Then dice the onion and celery. Last, rough chop the pecans.
- To a medium sized bowl, add the diced chicken, halved grapes, chopped pecans, diced celery and diced onion. Then gently stir to incorporate. Set aside.
- Next, to a small bowl, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar and seasoned salt. Whisk to fully incorporate the ingredients for your sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the salad ingredients. Then using a large spoon, gently stir to incorporate the sauce with the salad.
- This salad is best when served chilled, but can be served immediately. To serve chilled, refrigerate for at least one hour.
Tips for Success
- Chicken grape salad can be made and stored up to two days in advance.
- Use firm grapes to maximize the storage time.
- As a time saving effort, DO NOT use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. For starters, the seasoning used on the chicken will effect the overall taste of the salad. But also, rotisserie chickens can be notoriously fat laden and greasy. You really want to use chicken breast for this salad.
More Than Just a Simple Side Dish
Chicken Grape Salad is really more than just a simple side dish. It is, in fact, quite versatile. Below, I’m going to give you suggestions for enjoying it in creative ways.
- Turn this into a meal by filling a tortilla shell with the chicken grape salad and rolling it tightly. Alternatively, you could fill a croissant and eat it as a sandwich.
- Because this spring side dish stores and travels well, it is wonderful served at cookouts and potlucks.
- To fancy up this side dish, for say a spring side dish for Easter dinner, or a baby shower, fill lettuce leaves with chicken grape salad. Then arrange the lettuce-filled chicken grape salad on a platter and serve it individually.
I love trying new recipes that call for ingredients I normally wouldn’t think of combining, like chicken and grapes. And is there a better way to get a good recipe than to have it handed down from a beloved relative?
I am positive once you try this recipe, you will see why it should be ‘World Famous’! And I am certain you will want to bring it as a side dish to your summer BBQ’s and potlucks. I know this easy side dish will definitely have a place on my Easter dinner table!
Chicken Grape Salad
Make this cold side dish to bring to your next potluck or cookout. I guarantee people will be begging you for the recipe! Simple ingredients are used to make a crunchy, sweet and savory simple side dish.
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts
- 1 C Red or purple seedless grapes
- 1/4 C Pecans halves
- 1/2 C Celery
- 1 Small onion
- 1 C Mayonnaise
- 1/2 C Sour Cream
- 1 tsp. Sugar
- 1 tsp. Seasoned Salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Meanwhile, place your chicken breasts on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Then bake for 20 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink inside.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and cool completely. Once cooled, dice into 1/2" cubes and set aside.
- Now you will prepare the rest of your salad ingredients. Using a sharp knife, cut the grapes in half, or quarters, depending on the size of the grapes. Then dice the onion and celery. Last, rough chop the pecans.
- To a medium sized bowl, add the diced chicken, halved grapes, chopped pecans, diced celery and diced onion. Then gently stir to incorporate. Set aside.
- Next, to a small bowl, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar and seasoned salt. Whisk to fully incorporate the ingredients for your sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the salad ingredients. Then using a large spoon, gently stir to incorporate the sauce with the salad.
- This salad is best when served chilled, but can be served immediately. To serve chilled, refrigerate for at least one hour.
Notes
- Chicken grape salad can be made and stored up to two days in advance.
- Use firm grapes to maximize the storage time.
- As a time saving effort, DO NOT use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. For starters, the seasoning used on the chicken will effect the overall taste of the salad. But also, rotisserie chickens can be notoriously fat laden and greasy. You really want to use chicken breast for this salad.
