Fruity Chicken Salad Recipe: Sweet and Savory Perfection with Grapes and Almonds

Transform ordinary chicken salad into an extraordinary culinary experience with this vibrant, fruity version that combines tender chicken with sweet mandarin oranges, juicy grapes, crunchy celery, and toasted almonds. This elevated chicken salad breaks free from the typical bland, mayo-heavy versions, achieving the perfect balance of flavors and textures. Whether served in elegant lettuce cups for entertaining, spread on artisan bread for gourmet sandwiches, or enjoyed as a protein-packed lunch, this recipe delivers complex flavors that will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about chicken salad.

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What Makes Fruity Chicken Salad So Good

This fruity chicken salad succeeds because it balances sweet, savory, and textural elements through strategic ingredient proportions. The chicken-to-mayo ratio prevents the dressing from overwhelming the protein, while fresh fruits add a natural sweetness that complements rather than competes with savory elements. Celery provides essential crunch, toasted almonds add richness and texture, and grated onion contributes sharp flavor without overpowering chunks. The combination creates layers of flavor that develop during chilling, resulting in a sophisticated salad that’s both refreshing and satisfying.

Why You Should Try This Fruity Chicken Salad Recipe

Easy to make and unique ingredients are good enough reasons to make this chicken fruit salad recipe, but throw in the fact that you serve the salad on lettuce leaves, and you wind up with something really fascinating. Your guests will want to try at least one, so prepare enough!

Fruity Chicken Salad Ingredients 

Protein Foundation

• Cooked chicken breasts – Provides lean protein base with neutral flavor that accepts other ingredients beautifully
• Cold preparation essential – Room temperature chicken allows proper texture and food safety

Fresh Fruit Components

• Red seedless grapes – Contributes natural sweetness and a satisfying pop of juice with each bite
• Canned mandarin oranges – Adds citrus brightness and tender texture that complements grapes perfectly
• Fresh vs. canned consideration – Canned oranges maintain consistent texture and don’t add excess moisture

Textural Elements

• Fresh celery – Provides essential crunch and fresh, clean flavor that brightens rich ingredients
• Toasted almond pieces – Delivers nutty richness and satisfying crunch that elevates the entire salad
• Proper toasting technique – Enhances almond flavor and prevents soggy texture

Flavor Enhancement

• White onion – Grated form distributes sharp onion flavor without overwhelming texture
• Quality mayonnaise – Creates creamy binding that holds ingredients together while adding richness
• Salt – Essential for enhancing all flavors and balancing sweetness from fruits

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

You can use any cooked chicken in this recipe. Store-bought rotisserie chicken makes things very easy. Try poaching the chicken breasts in broth for tender meat and extra flavor if cooking from scratch. 

You swap out the almonds with pecans or walnuts.

Not a fan of mayonnaise? Substitute it with plain Greek yogurt which will also add a little tang to the salad.

How to Make Chicken Salad With Grapes

To prepare chicken salad with grapes and almonds:

1. Dice the cold, cooked chicken into medium pieces. Place the diced chicken into a large bowl. 
2. Wash and dry the celery. Cut into fine pieces and add them to the bowl with the chicken. 
3. Rinse and dry the grapes. Slice them in half and toss them in the bowl. 
4. Peel the white onion and grate it onto a clean kitchen towel. Use the towel to pat the onions dry and then add to the rest of the chicken salad. 
5. Add the toasted almond pieces and season with salt to taste. Stir. Cover and allow the chicken salad to chill in the fridge for at least an hour. 

To serve:

1. Rinse and completely dry the lettuce leaves. 
2. Lay the leaves over the serving platter.
3. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the chilled Fruity Chicken Salad onto the middle of each leaf to make lettuce cups.  

If you prefer, you can roll the chicken salad to resemble a mini burrito. Use a skewer to poke two holes where the leaves overlap, and use a carrot cut into a matchstick to keep the bundles secured.

What to Serve Chicken Salad With

Fruity Chicken Salad works excellent as a light appetizer and goes well with a variety of others like:

• Cool Whip Fruit Dip. Airy with a touch of sweetness, this creamy fruit dip is a healthier option for more decadent sweets. 
• Goat Cheese Crostini Canapes. Crostini with goat cheese is easy to make and has more panache than just serving a dip.
• Classic Deviled Eggs. This version of Deviled Eggs isn’t spicy, but it has enough going on to prevent your guests from being bored. 

Different Ways You Can Serve Fruity Chicken Salad 

This recipe is a real blessing when it is time to get creative with meals. Sure, you can spread it on thinly sliced, crustless walnut-raisin bread for the main course of a sophisticated luncheon or slather it on a Kaiser roll and add shredded lettuce for a hardier version, but you have other options as well:

• It’s a wrap. Use a large wrap instead of bread to save carbs and calories. You can find some delicious gluten-free wraps if you are sensitive to gluten. 
• Serve on toast rounds or crackers as an appetizer. To make the hor devours a little fancier, leave out the grapes, mandarin oranges, and chopped almonds. Spread the chicken salad on the base and add one grape half and one mandarin orange segment. Sprinkle with the chopped almonds. 
• Turn into a pasta salad. Combine cooked and cooled pasta (fusilli, farfalle, or another short variety) with an equal amount of chicken salad. Mix well and cover. Chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld before serving.  

Storage & Make-Ahead Tips

• Freezing Not Recommended: Mayonnaise and fresh fruits don’t freeze well and will separate upon thawing. 
• Optimal Storage: Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate immediately after preparation.
• Food Safety: Never leave chicken salad at room temperature longer than 2 hours.
• Texture Preservation: Store nuts separately and add just before serving for maximum crunch.
• Make-Ahead Strategy: Prepare base mixture day ahead, add fresh elements before serving.

More Chicken Salad Recipes

• Apple Chicken Salad
• Arby’s Chicken Salad
• Classic Carol Chicken Salad
• Chick Fil A Chicken Salad
• Curried Chicken Salad
• Dark Meat Chicken Salad
• Fancy Nancy Chicken Salad
• Jason’s Deli Chicken Salad
• Newks Chicken Salad

Favorite Salads with Chicken

• BBQ Chicken Salad
• Chicken Fajita Salad
• California Chicken Salad
• Chinese Chicken Salad

Check out more of my easy salad recipes and the best chicken recipes on CopyKat!