California Chicken Salad is loaded with celery, grapes, and pecans giving it a great texture and bold, fresh flavors.
Chicken Salad is such a great lunch! It can be enjoyed on a bed of greens or in a sandwich. You’ll love making a batch for the week.
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I really think that chicken salad is a a great example of a perfect lunch food. Affordable, easy to make, and so flavorful. Plus, it can be eaten along side of a salad or as a sandwich. It keeps for a few days, so it’s great to whip up a big batch up.
On Sundays, I often make a batch of hard boiled eggs for snacks and salads. Plus, I whip up something easy to have on hand for lunches, so this California Chicken Salad is on rotation often.
California Chicken Salad
This California Chicken Salad is originally inspired by Whole Food’s Sonoma Chicken Salad. I have always loved the combination of the fresh, juicy grapes, crisp celery and crunchy nuts.
A healthy, easy to make lunch like this will refuel you to conquer the rest of the busy day.
Chicken Salad is so easy to make because it only takes a few ingredients and you basically just need to do a bit of chopping before mixing it all together.
To get started, you can either cook up 2 chicken breasts or just shred up a rotisserie chicken. (I suggest making an extra roast chicken and then you can enjoy dinner and then the leftovers can be used for chicken salad or other fun things like quesadillas!)
I like using a food scale to measure the ingredients as it makes for a consistent recipe each time. Or, you can just measure with the heart and wing it and add more grapes or celery if you prefer that. Do whatever makes you happy!
Sometimes I use fresh yellow onion, but I also like to use dried onion that you can get in the spice section. The dried onion provides a mellow flavor, but you’ll want the chicken salad to chill for at least an hour.
Pecans, walnuts, and almonds are all really great in this recipe. No matter what you use, chop them up really finely so you don’t take a bite and encounter a big crunch.
Make your week nice and easy by making this California Chicken Salad to enjoy for a few lunches during the week. Enjoy the perks of meal prep and a great recipe!
How long can you store the chicken salad?
Store chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Can this be Whole30 complaint?
Yes! This is one of my favorite recipes to enjoy while doing a round on Whole30. You’ll need to make sure the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard are Whole30 compatible. Also, I suggest cooking the chicken yourself, as opposed to suing a rotisserie chicken because you don’t know what seasoning/marinade has been used on the chicken.
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California Chicken Salad
California Chicken Salad is loaded with celery, grapes, and pecans giving it a great texture and bold, fresh flavors.
Ingredients
- 2 cooked chicken breasts, cooled and shredded (Can use rotisserie chicken)
- 1 Cup of celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced*
- 8 ounces red grapes, halved and quartered (depending on grape size)
- 4 ounces pecans, finely chopped (walnuts are a great substitution as well)
- 1 Cup mayonnaise
- 2-3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill for 1 hour prior to serving.
- Store in an air tight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
*If you want a more mellow onion flavor, use 1/4 Cup chopped dried onion
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 486Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 35gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 529mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 15g
My husband is always on me about making chicken salad because he loves it so much. I need to try your recipe and the Whole Foods one you posted!