Spicy Dijon
Chicken Salad
Shredded chicken tossed with red grapes, celery, red onion, toasted walnuts, and a bold dressing of Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and sriracha — chilled and served cold in crisp green leaf lettuce wraps. Sweet, spicy, creamy, and crunchy all at once. The most sophisticated chicken salad in the collection and one of the easiest to pull together.
- Salad
- 3 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded (rotisserie, leftover, or freshly baked)
- ⅓ cup red grapes, quartered
- ½ cup celery, diced
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ⅓ cup walnuts, toasted & roughly chopped
- Dressing
- 5–6 oz plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp sriracha (adjust up or down for heat)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- To Serve
- 4 green leaf lettuce leaves
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1
Toast the walnuts
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the walnuts for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat immediately and let cool — they go from perfectly toasted to burnt quickly. Roughly chop once cooled.
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2
Make the dressing
In a large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, sriracha, salt, and pepper until smooth. Taste and adjust the sriracha — 1 tablespoon gives a noticeable heat that builds, so start there and add more if you want more kick.
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3
Combine & toss
Add the shredded chicken, quartered grapes, celery, red onion, and toasted walnuts to the bowl with the dressing. Stir gently until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning — a little more Dijon for sharpness, more sriracha for heat, or a pinch more salt.
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4
Chill & serve
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving — this step is not optional. The chill time allows the dressing to fully infuse the chicken and the flavors to meld together into something noticeably more cohesive and delicious than it tastes fresh. Serve cold spooned into green leaf lettuce wraps.
- Rotisserie chicken is the move: This salad is served cold anyway — pre-cooked rotisserie chicken breast shreds perfectly and saves you the baking step entirely. It's the fastest path to finished and produces great results.
- The 2-hour chill is essential: This is one of the few recipes in this collection where the resting time genuinely transforms the dish — the Dijon and sriracha infuse the chicken deeply and the dressing firms up into a proper coating. Don't skip it.
- Toast the walnuts: Raw walnuts have a slightly bitter, soft texture — toasted walnuts are nutty, fragrant, and noticeably crunchier. Two minutes in a dry pan is one of the highest-return small steps in this collection.
- Adjust the heat: One tablespoon of sriracha delivers a real kick — start there and taste before adding more. For a milder version, reduce to 1 teaspoon. For serious heat lovers, go up to 2 tablespoons.
- Keeps for 3 days: Covered in the fridge, this chicken salad holds up beautifully and actually improves overnight. A great Sunday make-ahead for a week of quick lunches.