Ready for the chicken salad recipe to end all chicken salad recipes? This Creamy Herb Chicken Salad is bright, herby, a little crunchy, a little creamy, and absolutely perfect for lunch prep or feeding a crowd. Layer in a croissant and you'll never look back!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
Okay so here's what happened —someone in the private WGC Facebook group recently asked about chicken salad for a group of 30+ and it sent me spiraling (in the best way) down a rabbit hole of ratios and textures. I wanted to find that just right balance of creamy, tangy, sweet, herby, and crunchy, and let me tell you... this one is perfection. The combo of juicy rotisserie chicken, crisp celery, sweet grapes, toasty cashews, and a creamy dressing with just the right zing? Absolute perfection. It’s simple, it’s nostalgic, and it gets better as it chills—aka the dream make-ahead lunch or easy entertaining moment.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Rotisserie or Roasted chicken
- Mayonnaise - I'm a Duke's girl but choose your own adventure!
- Sour cream
- Dijon mustard
- White wine vinegar
- Red grapes
- Roasted salted cashews
- Celery
- Fresh parsley
- Chives
- Sunflower seeds
- Shallot
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below
How to Make Chicken Salad
Step 1: Dice the cooked chicken breasts into ½-inch cubes and set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Add the chicken, grapes, cashews, celery, parsley, chives, sunflower seeds, and shallot. Gently fold everything together until well combined.
Step 4: Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld. Serve chilled in lettuce cups, on your favorite sandwich bread, or with crackers.
Tips & Tricks
- Use rotisserie chicken to save time—light and dark meat both work!
- Chop everything uniformly so you get a little bit of everything in each bite.
- Toast your cashews and sunflower seeds if they aren’t already roasted—it brings out so much flavor.
- Let it chill for at least an hour before serving. This gives the flavors time to really come together.
- Serve it in lettuce cups, on croissants, tucked into wraps, or with crackers for a little snack board action.
- Want to bulk it up even more? Add in a scoop of cooked quinoa or wild rice!
FAQs
Can I make Chicken Salad ahead of time?
Yes! It actually tastes better after chilling in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight.
Can I make Chicken Salad dairy-free?
Totally—just sub the sour cream for more mayo or a dairy-free yogurt.
What can I use instead of cashews?
Almonds, walnuts, or pecans work great. Or skip nuts altogether and double up on seeds for a nut-free version.
How long does it last in the fridge?
It’ll keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Perfect for meal prep!
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Creamy Herb Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cooked chicken breasts from a rotisserie chicken
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1 cup grapes halved
- ½ cup roasted salted cashews
- ½ cup celery chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice the cooked chicken breasts into ½-inch cubes and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, and white wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken, grapes, cashews, celery, parsley, chives, sunflower seeds, and shallot. Gently fold everything together until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld.
- Serve chilled in lettuce cups, on your favorite sandwich bread, or with crackers.
This has become our favorite chicken salad.. I do add a bitmore sunflower seeds and celery for extra crunch! Great dinner on hot summer nights!
This was delicious! We omitted grapes (personal preference) but otherwise followed the recipe as is and wouldn’t change a thing next time. It’s flavorful, balanced and great texture. We’ll be making this all summer when it’s too hot to turn on the stove.
Just made this and I will never make another chicken salad recipe again. I love this so much! I did substitute sliced almonds for the cashews because they were on hand. I can't wait to try it with the cashews!
Also, I've never rated a recipe before, but this one has all the stars from me!
thrilled to hear it!!
What other nuts do you suggest for the cashews?
pepitas
Haven't made this, but pretty much same as what my mother made for my wedding (50 yrs ago)... except, sliced almonds and no sunflower seeds. Brought back memories. Thank you!