Creamy Rosemary and Red Grape Chicken Salad {Paleo; Whole30-Friendly}

Creamy Rosemary and Red Grape Chicken Salad is a flavorful way to dress up ordinary chicken salad.

You’d be surprised at how fast my hubby blows through an entire batch of homemade mayo. He’s always finding creative (haha!) new ways to use it. Chicken wings, roasted potatoes, and even fried eggs are all fair game. Just about the only way he doesn’t eat mayo is on a sandwich.

I make a small batch of homemade mayo one or two times a month (my favorite recipe is in my cookbook, adapted slightly to use avocado oil), and one day when I was wondering what to have for lunch, the tub of mayo caught my eye along with some leftover chicken (side note: rotisserie chicken or leftover white meat turkey also work well here). I remembered my Creamy Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad and knew I wanted to do a variation of it.

Rosemary and red grapes give this salad a unique twist, turning up the volume on what would otherwise probably be just another chicken salad recipe. I like to keep it paleo and serve it on a bed of greens, but it would also be great in a wrap or as a sandwich (paleo sandwich bread, I'm looking at you). I’ve been wanting to host a homemade afternoon tea party, and I think this chicken salad would make fabulous little tea sandwiches for that, or for Mother's Day brunch.

What’s your go-to recipe to make with leftover chicken?

Creamy Rosemary and Red Grape Chicken Salad {Paleo; Whole30-Friendly}

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Creamy Rosemary and Red Grape Chicken Salad is a flavorful way to dress up ordinary chicken salad.

Ingredients

About 1¼ cups cooked, chopped chicken breast (see Note)
1 large stalk celery, thinly sliced cross-wise
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
½ small-medium onion, finely diced
½ cup mayo
1 tablespoon organic raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

For garnish:

2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds

Instructions

Stir together all ingredients for the salad.
Serve immediately or store covered in the fridge for up to 2 days before serving. (If making ahead, wait to stir in the rosemary until right before serving.)
Sprinkle the almonds on top right before serving.

Notes

Chicken: This salad is the perfect use for leftover chicken or turkey, or for a store-bought rotisserie chicken. But it is delicious enough to warrant poaching chicken breast if you don’t have leftovers on hand. To do so, for enough chicken for this recipe, place ½ lb (225 g) raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a single layer in the bottom of a medium saucepan; add chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water so that the chicken is covered by about 1 inch of liquid. Add a splash of vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar for this) and a generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper, along with any seasonings you like, such as carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, etc. Turn the heat on medium and bring to a simmer; turn the heat down slightly to keep it at a simmer, and cook until the chicken is fully cooked (there should not be any pink), about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain off the water, cool the chicken, and then chop it to use in this salad.

Whole30 Version: Omit the honey and Dijon, reduce the vinegar to 1 teaspoon, and add ¼ teaspoon dried mustard powder.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items, which helps me keep this site alive – thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!