This unique chicken salad is filled with toasted walnuts, tart cranberries, and a tangy dressing. Our healthy 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 and healthy lunch. It truly is delicious.
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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!
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📖Why This Recipe Works
This healthy chicken salad 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.
🧾Ingredients
Obviously cooked chicken is the main component of this dish. I recommend poaching or baking your chicken. You can use skinless chicken breast, chicken tenders, or chicken thighs.
But If I am being honest, 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 make use of your Thanksgiving surplus and use that leftover turkey.
Dried Cranberries- I prefer the low sugar to keep this recipe a bit healthier and use the reduced sugar cranberries.
Walnuts- Pecans and slivered almonds make nice substitutions if that is what you already have on hand
Celery- Crunchy celery gives this salad additional texture. Make sure your celery is crisp and fresh. And if it 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 or flavored, full fat or low-fat work. You can also use sour cream (probably my all-time favorite condiment!).
Dijon Mustard- Any kind you like.
Mayonnaise- I use Duke's Mayonnaise. If your mayo of choice doesn't contain lemon juice add a little extra splash of vinegar.
White Wine Vinegar - Champagne and cider vinegar both work in a pinch.
Fresh Rosemary- Or use other fresh herbs like thyme or sage.
See the recipe card for quantities.
⏲️How to Make Chicken Salad with Cranberries
This is a simple recipe and straightforward to make. And it is quick and easy but I do recommend letting the chicken salad rest for at least 30 minutes after dressing to allow the flavors to come together.
STEP 1- Toast the Walnuts
Warm a small saute pan over medium heat. Do not add oil, we want a dry pan to toast the walnuts (do this same process if using pecans or almonds). Toasting the walnuts will bring out their oils and amplify their natural nutty flavor.
Add the walnuts to the pan and gently shake the pan every 30 to 60 seconds until they are lightly golden and smell fragrant. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the walnuts to cool.
STEP 2- Combine
In a large bowl, we are going to combine all the chunky ingredients. You will need 2 cups of diced chicken, see our tip below for the perfect size for eating. The shallots and celery should be finely diced, i.e., smaller than your cranberries.
Toss the chicken, dried cranberries, walnuts, celery, and shallots together.
STEP 3- Dress
I prefer to mix the dressing separately, so the salad is evenly coated, and the seasonings are spread out.
In a small bowl whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayo, mustard, vinegar, fresh rosemary (finely minced, please), and salt and pepper. You can adjust the seasonings to taste as needed.
Pour over the salad and toss to coat. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
This cranberry chicken salad recipe typically serves 2 when served as a salad or 3 to 4 when making sandwiches.
🥗What 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 Stovetop Flatbreads (Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free), Cream of Celery Soup (Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free), and my Creamy Summer Squash Soup (Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free).
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tip
When planning 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.
💭 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 mayo. My preferred brand is Just Mayo.
Vegan Cranberry Chicken Salad
In addition to doing both egg-free and dairy-free substitutions, you can substitute a vegan main for the chicken. Rather than going for expensive TVP substitutes or tofu, I prefer canned jackfruit. Less than $2 a can!
If you are new to working with jackfruit, check out our BBQ Jackfruit Salad for all the details on how I like to bake canned jackfruit.
🔪Equipment
No special equipment is needed for this recipe. But when packing as a salad for lunch I like to take my greens in a big glass container and my chicken salad in a smaller container. This will prevent the greens from wilting.
🌡️Storage and Food Safety
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.
Food Safety
If you make your chicken at home, rather than purchasing pre-cooked chicken, please remember the following rules:
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Never leave cooking food unattended
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
More Delicious Salads
💬Frequently Asked Questions
Mayonnaise has a tendency to break (the oil and egg separate) when frozen and thawed. My recommendation is to not freeze this cranberry chicken salad.
Like all chicken salads, this recipe can be served over a green salad, in flour-based or lettuce-based wraps, on a croissant, or other types of bread. We also love it as a snack with crackers, small lettuce cups, or crudites.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave us a rating or a comment. It helps other wonderful people connect with our food.
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Chicken Salad
Equipment
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!