This unique chicken salad is filled with toasted walnuts, tart cranberries, and a tangy dressing. My cranberry chicken salad can be served in a lettuce wrap, on a baguette or croissant, or try it on top of a bed of lettuce greens for a light lunch.
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I love a good homemade chicken salad recipe, but I do get tired of the plain jane chicken salads out there. But adding sweet cranberries and walnuts gives this chicken salad a satisfying texture and fun flavor profile.
It is like the chicken version of my favorite kale salad with cranberries!
📖Why This Recipe Works
- This easy lunch recipe is naturally gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free (see variations below).
- This recipe can be made ahead as part of your meal prep and keeps for 5 days in the fridge. Plus it is a great way to use up leftover roast chicken. Did I mention it only has 10 minutes of hands-on time?
- But really what makes this recipe work is the balance of Greek yogurt and mayonnaise combined with fresh rosemary. There is something so delightful about updating the classic chicken salad (which is severely lacking in herbs), with a bold punchy flavor.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Chicken- I almost always use a plain rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Canned chicken can be substituted. While it isn't my favorite texture it can be an excellent budget option. Or you can poach or roast chicken from scratch.
- Dried Cranberries- I prefer reduced-sugar cranberries to keep things tart. This is a chicken salad, not a dessert.
- Walnuts- Pecans and slivered almonds make nice substitutions if that is what you already have on hand.
- Celery- If your has leaves toss them in! Celery leaves have an underrated flavor.
- Shallot- Or use green onions if you can't find shallots. I also use red onion from time to time. The trick is to soak in cold water for 5 minutes
- Plain Greek Yogurt- Not sweetened, full-fat or low-fat work. You can also use sour cream (probably my all-time favorite condiment!).
- White Wine Vinegar - Champagne and cider vinegar both work in a pinch.
- Fresh Rosemary- Or use other fresh herbs like thyme or sage.
⏲️How to Make Cranberry Chicken Salad
- Mix the dressing separately, so the salad is evenly coated, and the seasonings are spread out.
- The shallots and celery should be finely diced, i.e., smaller than your cranberries.
- Chill for 30 minutes before serving. This recipe typically serves 2 when served as a salad or 3 to 4 when making sandwiches.
🥗How to Serve with Chicken Salad
This is a versatile recipe. I recently served it at a bridal luncheon with a mixed green salad, homemade crescent rolls (gluten-free!), blueberry iced tea, and strawberry lemon bars (also GF). And everyone was raving.
Other complimentary recipes include my gluten-free flatbreads, vegan celery soup, and my creamy Summer Squash Soup.
👩🏻🍳Jen's Testing Notes
- To make chicken salad sandwiches dice the chicken into very small pieces. When making salads, larger shredded pieces of chicken will be easier to eat with a fork.
- Toasting the walnuts will bring out their oils and amplify their natural nutty flavor.
- Make use of your Thanksgiving surplus and use that leftover turkey in place of shredded chicken.
- If your mayo of choice doesn't contain lemon juice add a little extra splash of vinegar.
- Letting the chicken salad rest for at least 30 minutes after dressing to allow the flavors to come together.
💭 Variations
You add extra ingredients like crisp apple slices or crunchy pears. But here are a few changes to accommodate common allergens.
Dairy-Free Chicken Salad
To make this recipe dairy-free simply skip the Greek yogurt and increase the mayo to ¾ cup.
Chicken Salad without Eggs
Mayonnaise is mainly made of eggs. But I find that it can be just as satisfying with an egg-free vegan mayo.
🌡️Storing Leftovers
This chicken salad can be made up to 5 days in advance. If using leftover chicken, the counting begins on the day you cooked the chicken. For example, if the chicken was cooked 2 days ago the salad has a 3-day shelf life.
Store the salad in a sealed airtight container in the fridge.
Mayonnaise has a tendency to break (the oil and egg separate) when frozen and thawed. My recommendation is to not freeze chicken salad.
More Delicious Salads
Did you enjoy making this recipe? Show it some love with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment! Hungry for more FLAVORFUL recipes?
📖 Recipe Card
Cranberry Chicken Salad with Walnuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded or diced
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup walnuts chopped
- 1 stalk celery finely diced
- ¼ cup shallot finely diced
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place walnuts in a dry sauce pan over medium heat. Shake the pan every minute or so to prevent burning. Toast until golden brown and fragrant.¼ cup walnuts
- Add the chicken, cranberries, walnuts, celery, and shallot to a mixing bowl.2 cups cooked chicken, ¾ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup walnuts, 1 stalk celery, ¼ cup shallot
- In a small bowl mix together the mayo, yogurt, mustard, vinegar, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Pour over the chicken and vegetables and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.½ cup Greek yogurt, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar, 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes 3 to 4 salad size portions or 4 to 5 wraps or sandwiches.
suz B says
How much lemon juice?
Jen Wooster says
Oops- that should say white wine vinegar, I changed it last minute during recipe testing. If you prefer lemon juice use an equal amount. It just needs a bit of acid to brighten it up!
Sarah Schmidt says
I loved the rosemary and the use of yogurt!