Chicken Salad Chick's Grape Salad Recipe

Here at Southern Living, we love Chicken Salad Chick. The brand was born in August 2007, when Stacy Brown decided to open a business to support her three children. She had always loved chicken salad – a Southern staple, in our book – and decided to start selling locally to make ends meet. She tried more than a dozen recipe variations, and, lucky for us, found chicken-salad-sandwich gold with a traditional recipe – aptly named, "Classic Carol." Her passion turned into a door-to-door delivery service, and within two months, her business was thriving.

Then, in 2008, within two hours of opening the doors of her first brick-and-mortar in Auburn, the restaurant sold out. Whether you're visiting Stacy's place in Auburn, in Birmingham, or in one of her other 52 locations across the South-East, her chicken salad (and pimiento cheese!) comes highly recommended.

One of Chicken Salad Chick's most popular side items is her Grape Salad – it pairs perfectly with sandwiches, fits in with any ladies' luncheon or garden party, or is just an easy recipe to have on hand. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Grape Salad from Chicken Salad Chick Makes 15-20 servings

Ingredients:

• 24 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 2.5 cups sour cream
• 1 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla
• 3.5 pounds seedless grapes (half red and half green)
• 1/2 cup dried pecans, crushed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Wash grapes and remove stems. Set aside to air dry.
2. Set cream cheese out to come to room temperature.
3. Place sour cream and sugar in a mixing bowl, put do not mix. Set mixing bowl aside.
4. Cut cream cheese blocks into golf ball size pieces and place into food processor until completely blended and the consistency is smooth. Pour the cream cheese into the mixing bowl with sour cream and sugar. Mix with electronic mixer for two minutes on medium speed.
5. Gently fold the vanilla into the mixture with a spatula. Continue to fold until the vanilla is blended completely. Be careful not to over mix. The mixture should be light and fluffy.
6. Place all grapes into a large bowl and add dressing mixture evenly. Gently mix by hand until all grapes are completely covered. (NOTE: Grapes must be completely dry before adding dressing.) Chill until ready to serve.
7. Just before serving, sprinkle brown sugar and crushed pecans on top.