Name: Wild Rice and Chicken Salad
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 1 Cup Wild Rice; 2 Cups Chicken Broth; 1 Cup Water; 1 Cup Mayonnaise; 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice; ½ Teaspoon Salt; ½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper; 1 Whole Chicken Breast (Cooked, Cooled, and Cut in ½” Cubes, about 2 Cups); 1 Cup Chopped Celery; 1/3 Cup Thinly Sliced Green Onion; 1 Cup Unsalted Roasted Whole Cashews; 2 Cups Halved Seedless Red Grapes

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Creamy, savory chicken salad is loaded with the crunch of cashews and the sweetness of seedless red grapes.

Lettuce, cashews, grapes, and chicken salad on naan bread.

There are some recipes that I find myself going back to over and over again to make. This classic chicken salad recipe is one of them because it is simple to make and there are many ways to serve it. It has grapes for sweetness, cashews that are crunchy, and wild rice that also boosts the texture.

This wild rice and chicken salad can be served as a side, a sandwich, with lettuce for wraps, and even open-faced on naan bread. This is a perfect dish for variety and choice and I have served it for brunches and al fresco luncheons because it can be made ahead in small steps and assembled on the day I'm serving it.

Jump to:

Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions and Variations
Make-Ahead and Storage
How to Serve
My Top Tips
More Great Chicken Recipes
📖 Recipe

Ingredients

To Cook the Wild Rice:

Wild Rice - Wild rice is an aquatic grain that is cooked similarly to rice and has a nutty flavor. It will require a large amount of liquid to cook, but will not absorb as much liquid as rice does.
Chicken Broth - Chicken broth will add a bit more flavor to the wild rice as it cooks.
Plain Water - Water from the tap or plain bottled still water work equally well.

To Make the Chicken Salad:

The ingredients, clockwise from top right: black pepper, fine sea salt, celery, whole cashews, seedless red grapes, green onion, cooked chicken, lemon juice, mayonnaise, cooked wild rice.

Cooked Wild Rice - Wild rice gives great texture and a nutty flavor to this chicken salad.
Cooked Chicken Breast - Rotisserie chicken saves time and works well in this recipe.
Celery - Fresh green celery gives a crunch and freshness to the salad.
Green Onion - Use both the white and green portions of green onions.
Mayonnaise - Use your favorite brand as long as it does not have a pronounced lemon flavor. If your favorite, like Duke's, has a lemon flavor compensate by not adding any lemon juice to the dressing and only adding salt and black pepper.
Fresh Lemon Juice - Fresh lemon juice is always best. Do not use reconstituted or "from concentrate" lemon juice.
Fine Sea Salt - I like using fine sea salt in recipes. But a good iodized table salt works well too.
Freshly Ground Black Pepper - Black pepper that has been freshly ground has a more fragrant, flowery scent and flavor.
Unsalted Roasted Whole Cashews - If you cannot get unsalted roasted cashews, you can use salted ones by omitting the additional fine sea salt in the dressing.
Seedless Red Grapes - Small seedless red grapes work best as they match the size of the cubed chicken and whole cashews.

Please see the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Cooking the Wild Rice

Rinse the wild rice with cold water in a colander or strainer.

Cooking the wild rice in broth and water.

Cooling and fluffing the wild rice with a fork.

In a small saucepan bring to a boil the wild rice, chicken broth, water, and salt. Reduce to a very slow simmer and cook for 45 minutes or until wild rice is tender, fluffy, and the kernels have begun to pop open. Drain if necessary and allow to cool.

The in ingredients for the salad dressing in a small bowl.

The salad dressing mixed in a small bowl with a whisk.

In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

The salad ingredients in a large bowl: wild rice, cubed cooked chicken, halved red grapes, chopped celery, whole cashews, and slice green onions.

In a large mixing bowl add 2 cups of the cooked wild rice, cubed chicken, chopped celery, sliced green onions, cashews, and halved red grapes.

The salad dressing added to the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

The salad and the dressing are folded together in a large bowl with a silicone spatula.

Add the salad dressing and gently fold to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Portrait image of a lettuce leaf topped with chicken salad.

Substitutions and Variations

Substitute Pecans or Almonds. Chopped pecans and sliced or slivered almonds can be substituted for the cashews.

Substitute Dried Cranberries or Golden Raisins. If grapes are not available dried cranberries or golden raisins can be substituted. Be sure to plump any dried fruit before adding it to the salad.

How to plump dried fruit: Place dried fruit in a small 3-cup bowl. Add an equal amount of boiling water. Allow the fruit to steep until plumped, usually about 15 minutes. Drain the fruit well before adding it to the salad.

Make-Ahead and Storage

This chicken salad can be made the day before serving. Prepare as usual but hold back adding the cashews and halved grapes. Fold them in when you are ready to serve the salad for the freshest taste and crunch.

Alternatively, you can prepare all of the ingredients plus the salad dressing a day or two before serving and then combine everything just hours before your meal.

Always refrigerate this salad. This chicken salad can be stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a covered container.

How to Serve

Chicken salad is wrapped in butter lettuce leaves on a square beige plate. A bottle of rosé is in the background.

This salad can be served in many ways:

Lettuce wraps using butter lettuce or for a crispier texture served on Romaine lettuce.
Open face on naan bread or tortillas.
In a pita.
Plated on a bed of greens.
In a bowl and served family-style.
As a sandwich on your favorite bread or on a croissant for a Napa Valley-style sandwich

A wooden board with cashews, grapes, and naan bread topped with chicken salad.

My Top Tips

For the best texture, fold in the whole cashews and halved grapes just before serving. This keeps the nuts crunchy and the grapes looking their best.

The volume of cooked wild rice can vary depending on the water content of the wild rice, so you most likely will have some leftover wild rice.

Make savory pancakes with any leftover wild rice by adding it to your favorite pancake batter along with some thinly sliced green onions. Serve the pancakes with savory brown gravy.

Mayonnaise-based salads like this Wild Rice and Chicken Salad pair well with many wines. My favorite pairings are fruit-forward Bordeaux-style red wines, buttery California Chardonnays, and crisp Rosé wines.

Wild Rice and Chicken Salad