The Best Chicken Salad – Grandma Betty’s Chicken Salad Recipe

Grandma Betty’s Chicken Salad Recipe in my opinion is the best Chicken Salad ever! With green grapes and pineapple for sweetness and celery and slivered almonds for crunchiness, you’ll jazz up a rotisserie chicken in the most delicious way possible.

Grandma Betty’s Chicken Salad Recipe

There are literally thousands of recipes for chicken salad out there. I think the best version comes from Grandma Betty.

Now Grandma Betty isn’t my grandma, but she was a wonderful grandmother (and mother) to our family friends, Jackie, Dana and Cara.

Grandma Betty was a great cook, and she left quite a legacy of delicious and easy recipes.

This chicken salad gets the perfect amount of sweetness from green grapes and pineapple tidbits, plus it has the perfect amount of crunch from celery and slivered almonds.

Chicken Salad (no eggs, no mustard)

I particularly like this easy chicken salad recipe without mustard and without eggs. The chicken is the highlight of the show with the other ingredients adding just a hint of sweetness and a hint of crunch.

It is also a nice creamy version of this classic dish that is always a hit at a special lunch or brunch. Do you want to know why? Grandma Betty had a little secret. This chicken salad uses mayo AND sour cream.

Chicken Salad Ingredients

Cooked Chicken, cubed

Celery, chopped

Green, Seedless Grapes, halved

Pineapple Tidbits, drained

Slivered Almonds, toasted

Mayonnaise

Sour Cream

How to serve chicken salad?

Chicken salad is so versatile that it can be eaten in so many different ways. It could absolutely be eaten all by itself with a fork, or try one of these other fun ways:

• Croissants
• Crackers
• Pita Chips
• Mini Buns or Hawaiian Buns
• Lettuce Wraps or Lettuce Cups
• Rolled up in tortillas and cut into pinwheels
• Chicken salad sandwich with toasted pumpernickel or rye bread
• English Muffin
• Toasted Bread Points

What kind of chicken works best in chicken salad?

My personal favorite type of chicken to use is rotisserie chicken. Grab a moist, flavorful chicken next time you’re at the grocery store or Costco (for extra savings). Remove the skin and bones from the rotisserie chicken, and then cut the chicken into cubes.  Use both the white and the dark meat for more flavor.

With that being said, you could also use poached chicken, shredded chicken, canned chicken, grilled chicken, etc. However, I think rotisserie chicken gives the best flavor and texture to chicken salad.

How to Make Classic Chicken Salad without eggs

Step by Step Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine cubed, cooked chicken, chopped celery, toasted slivered almonds, drained pineapple tidbits, mayonnaise and sour cream.
2. If dry, add a bit more sour cream and/or mayonnaise.
3. Serve immediately or refrigerate to let the flavors marinate together.

Storage Instructions

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for chicken salad without mustard, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

Recipe FAQs

• Rotisserie chicken is the easiest, most flavorful chicken for Grandma’s Chicken Salad recipe. Remove the skin and bones, and cube both the white and dark meat
• If the green grapes are extra big, cut into thirds or quarters.
• To toast the slivered almonds, add to a dry skillet over medium high heat, stir until lightly browned.
• Eat with a fork, on a croissant, on a sandwich, crackers or anyway you please.
• Can’t find pineapple tidbits? Cut pineapple chunks into smaller pieces.
• If the chicken salad seems dry, add a little more mayo or sour cream to your desired creaminess.
• This is the perfect recipe for bridal showers, baby showers, Easter, or just a plain day at home.
• Check out our Amazon Store for some of our favorite pantry essentials.

Recipe Variations

• Substitute chopped pecans for almonds.
• Replace grapes with dried cranberries.
• Add a squirt of Dijon mustard.
• Replace sour cream with Greek yogurt.
• Add fresh herbs such as fresh dill, chives or parsley.
• Use diced apples instead of pineapple.
• Diced tomatoes and fresh basil seasoned with black pepper is a tasty version.

Vintage Salad Recipes

Fancy Chicken Salad 

Old Fashioned Bologna Salad

3 Ingredient Chicken Salad

4 Ingredient Egg Salad Without Mayo

Bologna Salad

What to Make with Rotisserie Chicken?

We love using rotisserie chicken in our recipes and we’ve shared many of those throughout the years. Here are just a few of our favorites.

• Chicken Noodle Casserole
• Chicken Ole Casserole
• Slow Cooker Chicken Cornbread Stuffing Casserole
• Chicken Pot Pie Stew
• Chicken Velvet Soup

We also pulled together a post featuring recipes using canned chicken. All of these can also use rotisserie chicken as well.