California Chicken Salad

A Sonoma-style cold, creamy chicken salad loaded with succulent grapes, finely diced onion, toasted nuts, and a medley of sweet & savory flavors and seasonings.

Course Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings

Calories 297kcal

Author Amee

Ingredients

16 oz cooked chicken breast shredded (leftover rotisserie chicken works great & saves time)
1 cup seedless grapes sliced in half
½ cup raw pecans toasted and chopped
2 tbsp sweet onion very finely diced
1/4 cup mayonnaise For a Paleo/Whole30 version use a Paleo-friendly mayo. I've got a recipe for that. ;)
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt you can also use sour cream
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

Instructions

Whisk the mayo, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), vinegar, honey, dijon, and poppy seeds together in a small bowl.
Add chicken, grapes, onion, and toasted nuts to a large bowl. Then pour the dressing on top and toss until the ingredients are evenly dispersed, and the chicken is well saturated in the creamy dressing.
Season with salt and pepper.
Chill before serving.

Notes

Shred chicken with a mixer. Add the chicken to a bowl (or stand mixer) and shred using the paddle attachment.
Chop the onion very finely. If the pieces are too large, they will overpower the dish, and no one wants to bite into a surprise chunk of onion.
Prep in advance. Sonoma chicken salad tastes even better when made up to a day in advance. Keep it covered in the fridge and re-stir before serving.
Whole30 Chicken Salad - With a few substitutions, this California chicken salad is perfect for Paleo & Whole30 purposes. First, be sure the chicken is prepared with compliant ingredients, then adjust the dressing. Instead of sour cream or yogurt, double up on the mayo. You can use your favorite store-bought Whole30-approved mayo or make paleo mayonnaise from scratch.

Nutrition