A gray plate holds chicken salad and lettuces. A blue fork rests on the plate. Red grapes also sit on a white wooden counter.

This Chicken Salad with Grapes recipe was one of the very first recipes I photographed and posted here on Wholefully! In the decade since, weโ€™ve updated the photos and the text, but the recipe remains the sameโ€”because itโ€™s timelessly delicious!

This chicken salad combines tender cooked chicken (using meat from a rotisserie chicken makes this a breeze to prep), fresh fruit, nuts, and a creamy dressing. The secret ingredient that takes this salad over the top? Curry powder! If youโ€™ve never tried curry powder in chicken salad, youโ€™ll be pleasantly surprised at how layered the flavor of this salad becomes when you add just a touch of curry powder.

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The resulting chicken salad doesnโ€™t take like curry (if you want something with intense curry flavor, check out my Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry)โ€”instead, it gives the chicken salad a depth and warmth that is incredibly delicious!

Curry chicken salad includes apples, walnuts, and grapes.

How do you make curry chicken salad?

Mixing up this Curry Chicken Salad with Grapes is a breezeโ€”all you need to do is combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, and toss to combine. Prepping this salad does require a bit of chopping, but this salad holds well in the fridge, so you can get a lot of meals out of one session of chopping fruits and veggies.

Grapes, chopped chicken, walnuts, onion, and apples are in a glass bowl. A wooden spoon sits on top of the bowl.

Can you meal prep chicken salad?

This curry chicken salad is a meal prep staple in our house! In fact, the flavor of this salad gets even better after a bit of a rest in the fridge. I tend to make a double batch of the salad and keep it stashed in the fridge for easy lunches or light dinners.

How do you eat chicken salad?

My favorite way to eat chicken salad is on a bed of salad greensโ€”the chicken salad turns into the dressing and salad toppings all-in-one! You can also eat the chicken salad dipped into crackers, wrapped into a tortilla or pita, spread on a sandwich, or even just scooped up with a fork. Yum!

A gray plate holds chicken salad, round crackers, and lettuces. A fork with a blue handle rests on a brown and white plaid dishtowel.

How long is chicken salad good for?

In theory, this could last in the fridge as long as five days. But I have to be honest, itโ€™s so delicious, itโ€™s never lasted that long in our house. Weโ€™re usually lucky if there is any left after 24 hours!

Can you freeze chicken salad?

You can freeze this curry chicken salad, but with a few modifications. Apples, grapes, and celery donโ€™t freeze wellโ€”their texture turns mushy after a trip in the freezerโ€”so I recommend making the salad as listed, but leaving out those ingredients if you plan on freezing the salad. When itโ€™s time to defrost your chicken salad and serve, you can add in fresh chopped apples, grapes, and celery.

A gray plate holds chicken salad and lettuces. A blue fork rests on the plate. Grapes and walnuts are also on the table.

What can I use instead of mayo?

I think homemade mayo canโ€™t be beat in this recipe, but if youโ€™re mayo-adverse, full fat plain Greek yogurt will also work in this recipe in place of the mayo.

My protips for awesome chicken salad:

  • Let the chicken salad rest in the fridge to meld the flavors for at least 30 minutes before servingโ€”but the best flavor happens the next day!
  • Using meat from a rotisserie chicken makes this super speedy to pull together.
  • The intensity of curry powder varies greatly between brands, so start with a small amount (we list 1/2 teaspoon), and add more if you want a more intense flavor.
  • Make sure youโ€™re using curry powder here and not curry paste. Curry paste is strongly flavored and will overwhelm the flavor of the other ingredients.
 
A gray plate holds chicken salad and lettuces. A blue fork rests on the plate. Red grapes also sit on a white wooden counter.

Curry Chicken Salad Recipe

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

This Chicken Salad with Grapes gets a boost of interesting flavor thanks to curry powder! Whip up this salad for an easy and healthy meal prep lunch.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (from a rotisserie chicken works great)
  • 1 medium tart apple, cored and diced (like Granny Smith)
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 1/2 cups red grapes, halved
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon spicy brown or Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 659Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 37gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 494mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 4gSugar: 24gProtein: 22g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

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