These top ten Chicken Salad Recipe Secrets will help you to add a twist to this summertime favorite. Your friends will think that you have discovered your favorite restaurant's secret recipes when you serve them a mouth watering, refreshing lunch built around this American Classic.

1.) Add seedless grapes to your favorite Chicken Salad recipe. Make sure that you wash the grapes and remove any stem parts that cling to the grape. The sweet, watery grapes are a great contrast to the chicken salad. I prefer to use red grapes but use your favorites.

2.)To increase the vitamin content, flavor and texture of your chicken salad add some spinach. I like to use fresh baby spinach. Wash the spinach, dry and shred using a food processor. Stir the spinach into the chicken salad. Experiment with the amount. I add ½ cup of shredded spinach to a 4-cup batch. Use the rest of the spinach as a bed to serve the chicken salad on. It looks great, especially when garnished with a bright yellow lemon wedge.

3. Go nutty! One of my favorite ways to add some flavor and texture to my chicken salad is to add some chopped pecans or black walnuts. I add a ¼ cup to a 4-cup recipe. Then I like to sprinkle a tablespoon over the top of the salad when I serve it.

4. Add chopped pineapple to your recipe. A friend suggested this to me and I have to admit I didn't think that it would work. I was wrong, very wrong! The pineapple added a great flavor burst. I add 1 cup of chopped pineapple to my favorite recipe and serve on a bed of lettuce.

5. Go hog wild! If you don't mind a few extra calories add some crumbled bacon to your favorite chicken salad recipe. Fry 4-5 strips of bacon until they are crisp. Blot off extra grease. Crumble and add ¼ cup to your chicken salad.

6. Skip the mayo. In place of the mayonnaise, use ranch dressing and sour cream. I like to add the ranch dressing first, about ¼ cup and then add the sour cream to taste.

7. Add ½ cup of diced green apples to your favorite recipe. This tangy treat looks great when served over a bed of lettuce topped with green apple wedges.

8.) Add ½ cup of diced green apples to your favorite recipe. This tangy treat looks great when served over a bed of lettuce topped with green apple wedges. your cantaloupe before cutting it in half. Cut the cantaloupe in half and remove the seeds. I like to cut a thin slice from the base so that it sits firmly and is easier to eat.

9.) Wrap it up! A fun way to serve chicken salad is to wrap it in romaine lettuce leaves. Wash and dry large Romaine lettuce leaves. Spoon chicken salad onto lettuce leaf. Sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded Swiss cheese evenly on top of the chicken salad. Gently roll the leaf length wise. Use a tooth pick to hold closed. (Tip: stick an olive on top of the tooth pick for safety and looks!)

10.) A little extra is a good thing. To stretch your recipe and add some fun add 2 cups of cooked rigatoni to your favorite recipe. Top with sliced hard-boiled eggs.