Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast – trimmed (~2.5 n/a chicken breasts)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth – for poaching chicken
- 2 celery stalk – finely chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion – finely chopped (~0.5 medium red onions)
- 1/2 cup granny smith apple – small dice (~0.5 medium granny smith apples)
- 3/4 cup seedless red grapes – halved (~22.5 n/a seedless red grapes)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves – finely chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt – plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper – freshly ground, plus more to taste
- 8 romaine or butter lettuce leaves – large, separated and patted dry (for serving)
- 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds – roughly chopped (for serving) (~28 n/a almonds)
Instructions
1. Place the chicken breast in a medium saucepan in a single layer and pour in the chicken broth. Add enough water, if needed, to just cover the chicken.
2. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and poach until the chicken is opaque throughout and registers 165°F in the thickest part, 12–15 minutes.
3. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let it cool until just warm, about 10 minutes, then finely chop or shred it into small bite-size pieces.
4. While the chicken cooks and cools, finely chop the celery and red onion, dice the apple, halve the grapes, and finely chop the parsley. Pat the lettuce leaves dry and keep them chilled until serving.
5. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, honey, kosher salt, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
6. Add the chopped chicken to the bowl with the dressing and fold gently to coat all the pieces.
7. Add the celery, red onion, apple, grapes, and parsley to the chicken mixture and fold again just until everything is evenly distributed. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed.
8. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the chicken salad for at least 20 minutes to chill and allow the flavors to meld.
9. When ready to serve, arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter. Spoon a generous mound of chicken salad into the center of each leaf.
10. Sprinkle the tops with toasted sliced almonds and serve the chicken salad lettuce cups immediately while the lettuce is crisp and cold.
Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups are a refreshing, hand-held way to enjoy the creamy, savory-sweet flavors of classic chicken salad without bread. Tender pieces of poached chicken are bound in a tangy dressing and contrasted with crisp celery, juicy grapes, and a hint of apple for gentle sweetness. Served in cool, crunchy lettuce leaves and finished with toasted nuts, the dish balances richness and freshness in every bite.
Chicken salad in various forms has long roots in American home cooking, evolving from European cold meat salads and gaining popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a delicatessen staple. The idea of serving chicken salad in lettuce cups built on the older concept of stuffed tomato or molded salads, eventually becoming a lighter, low-carb alternative to the traditional sandwich. Today, chicken salad lettuce cups appear on café menus and home tables alike, bridging classic deli flavors with a more modern, produce-forward presentation.