Chicken Salad with Grapes

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 6 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

Every week I seek inspiration to answer the same question: “What do I do with leftover chicken?” While I could turn it into tacos, bake it in a pot pie, or stir it into a soup, the very best way to use up leftover cooked chicken (or a freshly purchased, tender rotisserie chicken) is creamy chicken salad. Studded with toasted nuts and jewels of juicy red grapes, chicken salad makes me excited to eat leftovers.

Ingredients

1/2 cup pecan or walnut halves
1/2 cup sour cream, whole milk plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
4 cups cooked chicken (about 20 ounces)
1 medium shallot
2 ribs medium celery
1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes (about 6 ounces)

Instructions

Place 1/2 cup pecan or walnut halves in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, tossing frequently, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool slightly.
Place 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt, 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Use 2 forks or your fingers to shred 4 cups cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the dressing.
Prepare the following, adding each to the bowl of chicken salad as it is completed: Coarsely chop the nuts. Finely chop 1 medium shallot (about 2 tablespoons). Halve 2 celery ribs lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise (about 1/2 cup). Halve (or quarter if large) 1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes.
Fold the salad together with a flexible spatula until everything is evenly combined. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.