Creamy, savory Chicken Salad with Wild Rice is loaded with the crunch of cashews and the sweetness of seedless red grapes.
It can be served as a side, a sandwich, with lettuce for wraps, and even open-faced 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's also a perfect dish for brunches and al fresco luncheons because it can be made ahead in small steps and assembled on the day I'm serving it.
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Ingredients For Chicken Salad with Wild Rice
To Cook the Wild Rice, You Will Need:
- Wild Rice - Wild rice is an aquatic grain that is cooked similarly to rice and has a nutty flavor. It requires a large amount of liquid to cook, but it does 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 - I use a combination of chicken broth and water to cook wild rice. Water from the tap or plain bottled water works equally well.
To Make the Chicken Salad:
- 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.
How to Make The Best Chicken Salad with Wild Rice
Prep Wild Rice. Rinse the wild rice with cold water in a colander or strainer.
Cook Wild Rice. 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.
Make Dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Mix Salad Ingredients. 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.
Combine with Dressing. Add the salad dressing and gently fold to combine.
Chill and Serve. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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.
Substitutions & 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.
How to Serve Chicken Salad with Wild Rice
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 croissant for a Napa Valley-style sandwich.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Make Ahead: This chicken salad can be made the day before serving. Prepare as usual, but hold back on 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.
- Storage. Always refrigerate this salad. This chicken salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze. Unfortunately, this salad does not freeze well.
♡ Did you love this Chicken Salad with Wild Rice? Please leave a star rating and a comment below!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Salad with Wild Rice
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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
- ⅓ Cup Thinly Sliced Green Onion
- 1 Cup Unsalted Roasted Whole Cashews
- 2 Cups Halved Seedless Red Grapes
Instructions
- Prep Wild Rice. Rinse the wild rice with cold water in a colander or strainer.1 Cup Wild Rice
- Cook Wild Rice. In a small saucepan bring to a boil the chicken broth, water, wild rice. 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.2 Cups Chicken Broth, 1 Cup Water
- Make Dressing. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, fine sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.1 Cup Mayonnaise, 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice, ½ Teaspoon Salt, ½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Mix Salad Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl add 2 cups of the cooked wild rice, the cubed chicken, chopped celery, and sliced green onions, cashews, and halved red grapes.1 Whole Chicken Breast, 1 Cup Chopped Celery, ⅓ Cup Thinly Sliced Green Onion, 1 Cup Unsalted Roasted Whole Cashews, 2 Cups Halved Seedless Red Grapes
- Combine with Dressing. Add the salad dressing and gently fold to combine.
- Chill and Serve. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.
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LL says
This is my number 1 chicken salad recipe… I’ve made it a number of times and it hits all the “yummy” marks 🙂 much thanks!
Jan Nunes says
Hi LL, I'm glad you are enjoying this recipe! It's one of my personal favorites.
Have a wonderful day! ~Jan