Chicken and Broccoli Salad With Grapes

What we love about this Chicken and Broccoli Salad

I developed this Chicken and Broccoli Salad with Grapes recipe on a record heat day in the summer in Phoenix, Arizona, when I just didn’t want to cook anything and was craving a salad. I love this salad, it’s like a mash-up of chicken salad and broccoli salad. I use a rotisserie chicken for easy prep (leftover cooked chicken works too). It’s ready in under 30 minutes; all you have to do is chop a few things and whisk the ingredients together for the dressing, and you have a fantastic main dish salad.

I love the balance of textures and flavors in the salad. You have the crunch from the sunflower seeds, broccoli, red onion, and celery with the softer chicken and dried cranberries. I love the sweetness of the grapes and craisins, the salty sunflower seeds, and how they pair with the chopped chicken, celery, red onion, and broccoli.

The dressing really sets this salad apart. The creamy mayo-based dressing with Dijon mustard, oil, vinegar, sugar, and poppy seeds is such an amazing combination that complements the chicken salad perfectly. Add the dressing to the salad, and you have a delicious salad ready for lunch or dinner.

Looking for other easy summer dinners where you don’t have to turn on your oven? Try our Italian Sausage and Broccoli Pasta or our Barbecue Chicken Ranch Salad.

What you need to make Chicken Broccoli Salad

You will need the following ingredients:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Spring Mix, a mix of lettuces and greens
• Cooked chicken (a rotisserie chicken works great)
• Broccoli
• Grapes
• Celery
• Red Onion
• Sunflower seeds
• Craisins
• Mayonnaise
• Dijon Mustard
• Red wine vinegar
• Sugar
• Olive oil
• Poppy seeds
• Salt
• Pepper

Chicken Salad with Broccoli Substitutions

I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:

1. You can use leftover cooked chicken or roast chicken at home to make the chicken salad if you don’t want to use a rotisserie chicken. You may want to add a little more salt to the dressing, depending on the method used for cooking the chicken. See my tips and notes below the recipe for roasting chicken at home.
2. Lemon juice could possibly be substituted for the vinegar.
3. You could substitute a different kind of oil for the olive oil, like vegetable, avocado, or other.
4. You could substitute a different kind of vinegar, like apple cider vinegar or white vinegar.
5. You could substitute scallions for the red onion if desired.
6. You can add or substitute different vegetables if desired, with carrots, cauliflower, or other vegetables

Step-by-step Instructions for Chicken and Broccoli Salad with Grapes

Step 1. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, vinegar, sugar, olive oil, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.

Step 2. Mix the Romaine and Spring Mix together in a large bowl. Place the greens on a large platter. Arrange the chicken, broccoli, celery, grapes, cranberries, red onion, and sunflower seeds over the greens. I like to arrange the salad ingredients separately in rows. You can also plate the greens individually and arrange the remaining salad ingredients on individual plates. Serve the dressing on the side for guests to drizzle over their salad when serving, or drizzle over the salad just before serving.

Tips

• If you prefer to cook your chicken at home instead of using a rotisserie chicken, I highly recommend roasting bone-in chicken for the best flavor. Simply rub 2 split chicken breasts with oil, salt, and pepper, and cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes (or until the meat reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit when checked with an oven thermometer). It may take up to 60 minutes to completely cook based on the size of the chicken breasts. You can also use poached chicken or leftover crockpot chicken. Sometimes, I will cook several boneless chicken breasts in the crockpot and cube or shred them for future meals.
• If you are looking for new mixing bowls, I love these OXO mixing bowls with a spout and textured grip that are great for pouring dressings, batters, etc. I have some I purchased years ago that I use all the time.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to store Croissant Chicken Salad?

Leftovers should be stored in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. Due to the delicacy of the greens used in a salad and the high moisture content of some vegetables, tossed salads don’t often last long and get soggy and wilt quickly when stored. Some ways to help your salad last longer are to:

1. Ensure all the ingredients are completely dry, especially the lettuce used, when storing.

2. Don’t add all the dressing at once when eating. If you know you are going to save some salad for later, store the salad ingredients and dressing separately. Once the dressing is applied, any acidity in the dressing causes the lettuce to wilt quickly.

3. Store some of the salad ingredients separately. Any cheese, tomatoes, proteins, cooked ingredients, or wet ingredients should be stored in separate containers.

4. Avoid storing your salad ingredients at the very back of the fridge where the lettuce could potentially freeze.

5. Make sure all ingredients are properly covered in air-tight containers in the fridge. You can place paper towels between layers of lettuce leaves to make sure they are dry and prevent wilting.

Can you make the chicken salad in advance?

a. You can chop the chicken and vegetables in advance. Cooked chicken will last 3-4 days in the fridge, and vegetables, especially hard vegetables like broccoli and celery, can last 2-5 days after being chopped in air-tight containers. Homemade mayo-based dressings can last 3-5 days in the fridge.

b. I would chop the vegetables, prepare the salad dressing, and store them separately if you want to make them in advance. Once you add the dressing to the salad, the salad won’t stay fresh and crisp for long, so you will want to serve the salad with the dressing the day you want to eat it.

What should I serve with Chicken and Broccoli Salad?

Chicken and Broccoli salad can be served for lunch or dinner. Great sides include dinner rolls, cornbread, garlic bread, potato salad, pasta salad, fruit, soup, or cheese and crackers.