If you’ve ever had a taste of Sonoma Chicken Salad from Whole Foods, you know it’s crunchy, creamy, and so delicious. My copycat version can be made at home with simple ingredients. Made with shredded chicken, grapes, celery, pecans, and a flavorful dressing.

When I make a trip to Whole Foods, I always have to bring home some of their delicious Sonoma chicken salad. It’s one of those meals that is perfect for lunch or a light dinner.

Unfortunately, I don’t live close to a Whole Foods so I decided to recreate their recipe at home. I love it because it’s easy to control the ingredients and make it your own, which is perfect for my picky eaters.

This chicken salad recipe is also great for meal prep. It will last in the refrigerator for about 5 days making it perfect for weekly lunch.

If you are wanting more chicken salads like pineapple chicken salad, copycat Classic Carol chicken salad, copycat Chicken Salad Chick Buffalo Barclay, Copycat Chicken Salad Chick Sassy Scotty, and copycat Chicken Salad Chick Fruity Fran.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple ingredients. This recipe is made with just a few ingredients.
• All the flavors of the original. I tested this recipe several times to try and get it close to the Whole Foods chicken salad.
• Perfect for meal prep. Make it ahead of time and serve throughout the week.
• Crunchy and creamy. Not only does this have great flavor, it also has wonderful texture.

Ingredients

Make this Sonoma chicken salad with some simple ingredients.

• Chicken – Use cooked shredded or chopped chicken. It’s a great recipe to use rotisserie chicken. I also have used chopped grilled chicken for extra flavor.
• Celery – Diced celery adds the perfect amount of crunch.
• Red onions – Gives color and mild onion flavor.
• Grapes – Adds a hint of sweetness to the chicken salad.
• Pecans – Toasted pecans add a rich, nutty flavor.
• Poppy seeds – Poppy seeds give a little bit of extra crunch and flavor.
• Dressing – Mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, honey, apple cider vinegar, celery salt, salt, and pepper.

Substitutions And Variations

• Protein – Try substituting the chicken with turkey. You can also swap with tofu or chickpeas for a vegetarian option.
• Nuts – If you don’t like pecans, you can substitute with sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, or walnuts. You can also choose to make this nut free.
• Grapes – Swap out the red grapes with green grapes, raisins, diced apples, or dried cranberries.

Make Sonoma Chicken Salad

Scroll to the recipe card for the full ingredients and printable directions.

Step one: Begin by toasting the chopped pecans. Place them on a foil lined baking dish and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes.

Step two: Make the dressing by placing the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, honey, vinegar, poppy seeds, celery salt, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

Step three: Add the shredded chicken, diced celery, onion, grapes, and toasted pecans to the bowl with the dressing. Toss to combine.

Step four: Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heather’s Recipe Tips

• Be sure to use cold chicken. This helps keep the ingredients cool.
• Dice everything small. Dice up the celery, onions, and grapes into small pieces.
• Don’t skip toasting the pecans. It helps to bring out the flavor of the pecans.
• Chill the Sonoma chicken salad at least 30 minutes before serving.

Serving suggestions

There are many ways to enjoy this Sonoma chicken salad. A few suggestions include:

• Over greens. Place a scoop or two of your chicken salad over your favorite greens.
• As a sandwich. I like serving this on bread like croissants, sourdough, wheat bread, and more.
• In a wrap. Wrap up the chicken salad in a tortilla, flat bread, or lettuce.
• As a dip. Serve it in a bowl with crackers and cut up veggies.

And if you are wondering what to serve with chicken salad, I have a great list for you that includes things like french fries, pasta salad, grape salad, and more.

Storage Instructions

Store: Refrigerate leftover Sonoma chicken salad in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Make sure to give it a stir before serving.

I do not recommend freezing this recipe because the texture does not hold up once its thawed.

More Creamy Salad Recipes

• Broccoli salad
• Grape salad
• Blue cheese slaw

If you make this chicken salad recipe and love it, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and star rating below. Follow along with me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Be sure to tag @foodlovinfamily and #foodlovinfamily so that I can see what you make! Enjoy!