Pistachio Chicken Salad

This pistachio chicken salad recipe is a delicious twist on a classic chicken salad. Adding pistachios and serving it over baby greens gives you extra flavors without a lot of work. This is a perfect dish for busy evenings or a simple side to bring to any potluck event.

You might have found this page looking for easy recipes to make with chicken and pistachios. Or maybe you are searching for the easiest chicken salad recipe ever.

Enter the best chicken and pistachio salad you will ever eat.

If you have never had chicken salad with pistachios, you are in for a treat. Pistachio nuts make everything seem fancier. By just adding a simple green nut.

But not only is it a simple fancy dish, it is also on my list of go-to healthy recipes that everyone loves to eat. Loaded with flavors, lean proteins, and lots of fiber in the fruit and vegetables, this chicken salad with pistachios is one you will make again and again.‌

‌What ingredients are in pistachio chicken salad?

• Cooked Poultry Meat: I have used turkey, rotisserie chicken or chopped boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Celery Stalks: chopped into bite sized pieces to add crunch
• Grapes: sliced in half to add a hint of sweetness and texture
• Pistachios: shelled, salted, and roughly chopped
• Mayonnaise: use one you love the flavor of because this is the creamy dressing that will cover the salad
• Sea Salt: this makes everything around it stand out and taste better
• Ground Black Pepper: this classic spice helps your body absorb the nutrients in everything else you are eating
• Tabasco sauce: it won’t make it spicy, but it adds just a touch of flavor that takes this from a good chicken salad to a great dish
• Romaine Lettuce: you can use romaine or whatever your favorite salad greens are as a bed for this dish

Pro Tip: If like my brother-in-law, you really despise celery, you can use red onion or green onions to the dish to give a crunch instead. However, it will add a hint of onion flavor to the dish so be sure you like onions if you are substituting them!

How to make pistachio chicken salad:

1. Wash and dry lettuce.
2. In a large bowl, mix chicken, celery, grapes, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce.
3. In a small bowl, spoon 1 cup of chicken salad mixture on top of the lettuce bed.
4. Top with pistachios.
5. Serve chicken and pistachio salad immediately.

Can you freeze pistachio and chicken salad?

No, you cannot freeze this chicken salad with grapes and pistachios. This recipe uses mayonnaise as the dressing, and when it is frozen and thaws, it separates leaving you with an oil layer and an acid layer.

Also the fresh grapes and pistachio nuts don’t thaw to the same texture, which means you can try to freeze this, but it will not be the same dish when you pull it out of the freezer.

Is pistachio chicken and grape salad healthy?

Yes pistachio and chicken salad is a healthy food dish! If you are worried about using one cup mayonnaise in the dish, you can substitute greek yogurt to give you more protein and less fats.

Pro Tip: Using greek yogurt will change the flavor of the dish, so be sure to taste before serving. If you are sensitive to the tang in the yogurt, start by only adding half the amount called for so you can adjust to your liking.

How long is pistachio chicken salad good for?

Chicken with pistachios salad is good for up to one week if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. After that, the cut grapes will start to go bad.

Pro Tip: The pistachios will go soft if stored in the fridge mixed with the rest of the chicken pistachio salad. To keep them crunchy, add them as a garnish on top right before serving, even with leftovers.

Can you make pistachio and chicken salad with turkey?

Yes you can make pistachio and chicken salad with turkey! I have used all kinds of cooked poultry from leftover Thanksgiving turkey to a store bought chopped chicken.

If you have leftover grilled nuggets you can even use those to make a personal serving size!

Can you eat chicken and pistachio salad while pregnant?

Yes you can eat this pistachio chicken salad while you are pregnant! The biggest concern in pregnancy is that your meat is thoroughly cooked and your dairy has been pasteurized.

So be sure whatever chicken you are using has been cooked all the way and the mayo or greek yogurt is pasteurized..

The next concern is how long has the chicken salad been kept at unsafe temperatures allowing bacteria to grow. Since you don’t know how delis have kept their chicken salad, it is better to avoid store bought versions.

But as long as you are following good food safety and refrigerating your food so it doesn’t have a chance to grow any bacteria, this dish is safe to eat fresh even when you are pregnant.

What to serve with pistachio chicken salad:

I like to serve this pistachio, grape and chicken salad as an easy main course or dressed as chicken salad sandwiches. But it also works great as a simple side dish with these other items:

• Soup: try this cold Asparagus Vichyssoise, Pumpkin Soup with Canned Pumpkin, Roasted Tomato Basil Bisque, Authentic Zuppa Toscana Recipe, Chicken Noodle Soup
• Fruit Salad: in the summer I love this Watermelon Mint Salad but this Blueberry Jello Salad, Old Fashioned Caramel Apple Salad, Old Fashioned Fruit Salad with Sour Cream or Lemon Jello Salad can be made year round
• Roasted Vegetables: try these easy Veggies in the Oven, Zucchini Pepper Stir Fry, Spinach Artichoke Dip or this cold Easy Broccoli Salad with Bacon
• Your favorite chips and cold Homemade Lemonade!

How to store pistachio chicken salad:

Store this easy chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge. If you are bringing it to a potluck, be sure the serving tray is on top of ice to keep it cool.

Is pistachio chicken salad gluten free?

Yes, everything in pistachio salad is naturally gluten free. It is always a good idea to check your prepackaged food items like mayonnaise and Tabasco sauce, but most are gluten free.

If you need a fast and delicious simple side dish or really easy main dish, this pistachio chicken salad is the perfect recipe that brings regular chicken salad up a level without a lot of extra work.

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