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Cranberry Chicken Salad recipe

Overhead photo of cranberry chicken salad with dried cranberries and nuts in a serving bowl with dried cranberries next to the chicken salad.
Ditch the ordinary and make the best Chicken Cranberry Salad at home. Featuring a fiesta of sweet and tangy flavors this recipe combines tender chicken breast, tart dried cranberries, crunchy pecans, and a creamy dressing to create a chicken salad that's perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or simply served with crackers for a light and flavorful meal.
Recipe can be scaled up or down by using the slider if you hover your mouse over the number of Servings.
Author: Cheyanne Holzworth
Total Time: 15 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

  • 1 Small mixing bowl (for making the salad dressing)
  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl (for making the chicken salad)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - large dice (substitute: cooked chicken thighs) (SEE NOTES)
  • 1 cup Dried Cranberries (about 5.25 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup Toasted Nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios or pecans) – coarsely chopped (about 3 ounces) (SEE NOTES)
  • 2/3 cup Celery – thinly sliced or small diced (about 2 medium ribs)
  • 1/3 cup Scallions – thinly sliced (about 3 scallions)
  • 2/3 Cup Mayonnaise (SEE NOTES)
  • 1/3 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 2 TBS Honey
  • 1 ½ - 2 tsp fresh squeezed Lemon Juice – to taste
  • heaping 3/4 tsp EACH: Ground Ginger & Dried Thyme (can use 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves)
  • to taste Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

  • Make the Chicken Salad Dressing: To a small bowl, add the mayonnaise, yogurt, honey, lemon juice, ground ginger, thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt and a scant ½ teaspoon ground pepper.
    Use a whisk and stir vigorously to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
    Taste the dressing and adjust for seasoning with salt, pepper, lemon, or honey.
  • Mix the Chicken, Cranberries, and Salad Ingredients: To a large bowl, add the cubed chicken, nuts, cranberries, celery and scallions.
    Use a large spoon to gently fold the ingredients to combine.
  • Dress the Cranberry Chicken Salad: Add just enough salad dressing to just coat the chicken salad to the bowl.
    Use a large spoon to gently stir the ingredients to coat.
    Taste the chicken cranberry salad and add more mayonnaise dressing, salt and pepper to taste.
    (Note: While completely optional, I recommend covering the bowl of chicken salad with plastic wrap and letting it chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before enjoying.)
  • Serve Chicken Salad with Cranberries: Enjoy the cranberry chicken salad straight from the bowl or scoop over leafy greens, crackers, or sandwich bread. Enjoy!
    Overhead photo of Cranberry Chicken Salad garnished with sliced scallions and fresh thyme in a serving bowl with a spoon inserted into the salad and a ramekin of dried cranberries and a jar of dressing next to the bowl.

Video

Notes

  1. Chicken: You can use any type of cooked chicken to make this chicken salad.  Poaching your own chicken will produce an incredibly flavorful, moist chicken salad.  However, you can substitute 4 cups of cooked chicken instead.  If using rotisserie chicken, make sure you remove and discard the skin, then chop the chicken meat into bite sized pieces.  While you can use canned chicken, I would either use leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken to ensure the best texture and flavor.
  2. Nuts: Make sure you use toasted nuts!  Toasting nuts really enhances their flavor and makes the chicken salad shine!  To toast nuts - add nuts to a small, dry skillet (do not add butter or oil).  Place skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring frequently, until nuts are golden and fragrant.  Make sure you stir frequently and watch carefully as the nuts can go from toasted to burned very quickly!
  3. Mayonnaise: Full fat mayonnaise will yield the best tasting chicken salad.  Lower fat mayonnaise is thinner and will result in a more watery chicken salad.  If you are looking for a healthier option, try using Avocado Oil mayonnaise.
  4. Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You'll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
  5. Got questions? I've got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification - please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy to help when I can! 
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and the nutrition facts are an estimate based upon 6 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used..

Nutrition

Calories: 242kcal    Carbohydrates: 26g    Protein: 18g    Fat: 8g    Saturated Fat: 1g    Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g    Monounsaturated Fat: 2g    Trans Fat: 0.02g    Cholesterol: 53mg    Sodium: 310mg    Potassium: 347mg    Fiber: 1g    Sugar: 22g    Vitamin A: 153IU    Vitamin C: 3mg    Calcium: 31mg    Iron: 1mg
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American