Cranberry Chicken Salad
This cranberry chicken salad is an easy and delicious recipe made with shredded chicken, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and crunchy celery all wrapped up in a cream dressing. It's perfect for meal-prep lunches or a quick snack!
For another variation, try our chicken salad recipe made with grapes, almonds, and a little dill. It's delicious, too!
Tender chicken, sweet cranberries, toasted pecans, and crunchy celery all wrapped up in a creamy dressing. This is good. Really, really good.
It's a classic chicken salad with a festive, wintery vibe. Because cranberries and pecans put all recipes into the holiday category, right? But who are we kidding – this is a recipe we eat year-round.
Whether you're looking for a quick lunch or are meal prepping for the week, this is the recipe you'll want to make!
How to serve cranberry chicken salad
- On top of salad greens in a bowl.
- Tucked inside a lettuce wrap.
- In a sandwich.
- In a buttery croissant – such a treat!
- Spooned on top of crackers.
- In crispy wonton cups for a fun party appetizer.
How to make cranberry chicken salad
Unless you have some leftover chicken in your fridge, you'll need to cook the chicken first. (BTW this is a great recipe to transform leftovers into something new and delicious!
- Simmer chicken breasts in water until they're fully cooked then shred the meat using two forks.
- Mix the shredded meat with the other ingredients.
That's it! You've just made yourself lunch!
Full recipe in the recipe card below.
Is cranberry chicken salad a healthy recipe?
Chicken, celery, green onions, cranberries, and pecans are all very healthy. We like to make it with homemade mayonnaise which uses quality oil (healthy fats!) and contains no sugar.
We also like to serve over salad greens or in a lettuce wrap.
So if you make it with a healthy mayo and serve it with greens then this recipe makes a good choice for a healthy lunch!
How long does chicken salad keep
Cranberry chicken salad will keep for 3 days in a covered container in your fridge.
Can I freeze chicken salad
No, chicken salad does not freeze well. The mayonnaise will separate and the flavor and texture will not be the same.
Love cranberry and chicken?
We do, too! For an impressive dinner recipe, try our orange cranberry roast chicken with rosemary butter. It's delicious!
Popular easy lunch recipes
- BBQ Chicken Quesadilla
- Chicken Salad with Almonds and Grapes
- Easy Hummus Recipe
- Curried Chicken and Wheat Berry Salad
Cranberry Chicken Salad
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, or 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 2 stalks celery, minced
- Ā¼ cup chopped green onions
- Ā½ cup EACH: mayonnaise, dried cranberries, toasted pecans
- Ā¼ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a small pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, until they're cooked through. Remove them from the pot and shred the meat using 2 forks. Let the chicken cool.2 chicken breasts
- Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl. Add the celery, green onions, mayonnaise, cranberries, pecans, salt, and pepper and mix well.Ā2 stalks celery, Ā¼ cup chopped green onions, Ā½ cup EACH: mayonnaise, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, Ā¼ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- Serve the cranberry chicken salad over greens, in a sandwich, or with crackers.
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This was great! Made it exactly as written. Loved the pecans and sweet cranberries. Will make it again.Ā