Serves: 6–8
Prep: 20 min
Chill: 1 hour
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or finely chopped
- 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
- ¾ cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
- 2–3 celery stalks, finely diced
- 2 green onions, finely sliced
Creamy dressing
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1½ tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Optional but excellent
- ¼ tsp celery seed
- 1–2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
👩🍳 Method
- Cook the chicken:
For the juiciest salad, poach about 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts in lightly salted water or chicken broth until they reach 165°F / 74°C. Cool completely, then shred. - Toast the pecans:
Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for about 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool before chopping. - Make the dressing:
Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, Dijon, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper until smooth. - Combine:
Add chicken, grapes, pecans, celery, and green onion to a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and gently fold everything together. - Chill:
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Overnight is even better—the flavors develop and the dressing thickens. - Final adjustment:
Taste before serving. Add a little lemon juice for brightness, honey for sweetness, or salt if needed.
⭐ My “best version” tweaks
For the texture shown in your photo, don’t finely mince the chicken. Shred it into medium, irregular pieces so you get those visible strands.
Also, use red seedless grapes + toasted pecans rather than green grapes and raw nuts. The sweet-tart grapes and buttery toasted pecans make a huge difference.
Best ratio:
3 cups chicken : 1 cup grapes : ¾ cup pecans : 1 cup-ish dressing
Serve it chilled on croissants, brioche, lettuce cups, crackers, or straight from the container. 😋
