Gateaux1

Do you remember those dainty chicken salad sandwiches that used to be de rigueur at every gathering? Bridal shower – ✅ Birthday party – ✅ Funeral – ✅ there was always a big glass platter stacked high with the little square sandwiches, always white bread with the crusts cut off.

I loved those sandwiches!

My chicken salad is a little more chunky and wouldn’t work well as a dainty sandwich filler. However, it’s great as a snack or quick lunch for a hungry husband and keeps for several days in the refrigerator. It’s also perfect as a bridal shower salad with little tart shells.

Why you’ll love this chicken salad with grapes and pecans

TASTE – There are so many elements to this chicken salad that bring the flavor, from the tangy sour cream-based dressing to the sweet pop of the grapes and crunch of the celery — it all comes together to make this great-tasting salad.

MAKE-AHEAD – I’m not gonna lie. There’s a good bit of work involved in making this chicken salad. You’re toasting pecans and chopping grapes, celery, and a few other things. But you can cheat a little by using a rotisserie chicken, and once you get everything chopped up, that’s all there is to it. Then you just stir it together and it keeps for days in the refrigerator.

ADAPTABLE — You can easily change up this recipe to suit your tastes. Don’t care for pecans? Swap them out for toasted walnuts or slivered almonds. Add some apples or blueberries instead of grapes. We like the balance of sweet and savory that we get from having some type of nut and a fruit, but it doesn’t matter too much what combination you use.  

I hope you’ll try this ultimate chicken salad. I think you’ll love it, and I bet you’ll make it again and again!