If you are weirded-out by grapes in your chicken salad, this is not your recipe. But, if you find crisp, sweet red grapes in your chicken salad refreshing and delicious, read on...


Disclaimers: I *believe* this recipe was originally from Southern Living - and I stole it from AllRecipes.com. BUT! I did try it personally and I love it so I am sharing it with you here. (So don't sue me.) Also, I know that technically we are heading out of "chicken salad season"... if you believe in such a thing... but this one is sort of a fall menu item...because of the walnuts. So there.

I love this chicken salad. I make it frequently. I like it because it has a lot of crunchy and crisp elements. I also like water chestnuts... those are not in this recipe - but I just thought I would mention that I am one of those people.

Another reason this recipe is great is that you can totally make it ahead of time and just breeze through the dinner rush. Or, for you meal preppers out there, it makes a great lunch for the week. 

The THIRD reason I like this recipe, is the ingredients are really straight forward and simple. The dressing that binds it all together is equal parts mayonnaise and honey mustard with salt and pepper to taste. Really easy.

The original recipe recommends boiling the chicken in a chicken broth to cook it and using a bone-in, skin-on chicken breast. I used heavily salted water to boil my chicken as I was out of broth. I think it turns out well either way. I've done both. Boiling the chicken for about 20-30 minutes is just right for chicken salad; however, I think if you wanted to use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken, it would probably turn out fine also.


I just let the chicken breast cool and then deboned it and chopped it coarsely for the salad. Then, I tossed all the salad ingredients and the dressing mix in a large bowl and mixed it up. I think the salad tastes best after it has had time to chill for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. I like to make it in the morning and then dinner is all done by 11am!


I am a fan of the croissant as a delivery method for the chicken salad. I just buy a box of them from Walmart for a couple of dollars. Throw in some potato chips and some fruit and you have a meal! (Or even skip the fruit since there is plenty in the salad... see, even easier...)


Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 or 2 Bone-In Chicken Breasts (I used one because it was huge), boiled & chopped
1 or 2 gala apples (or your favorite sweet variety), diced
2 or 3 stalks of celery, diced/chopped
1 cup of red grapes, halved
3/4 cup of walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup honey mustard dressing (I used Ken's Steakhouse)
Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp each)

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil (you can also use chicken broth). Add in chicken breasts and boil for 20-30 min until cooked through. Take chicken out of water and set on a plate to cool. Cover with foil to keep moisture in.

2. While the chicken cools, chop your apples, grapes, celery and walnuts. Add them to a large bowl.

3. When chicken is cooled, debone and chop the chicken into small pieces. Add to the large bowl.

4. Add mayonnaise, honey mustard and salt and pepper and mix all ingredients together to combine well.

5. Allow chicken salad to cool for several hours and serve with your favorite bread and/or side dish

Enjoy!