Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad with Sweet-Tart Cranberries and Crunchy Celery
By Emma Collins
Prep
20 min
Cook
0 min
Total
20 min
Servings
8
Level
Easy
This eight-serving cranberry pecan chicken salad recipe takes 20 minutes to make. Use for lunch or save croissants and rolls to serve with the chicken salad. Cooked chicken is a good choice for this salad. Dried cranberries and other ingredients provide texture to the chicken salad.
The salad base consists of boneless, skinless cooked chicken breast. Cooked chicken thigh is also an option for the base. Dried cranberries, finely chopped, add tart and sweet flavors and textures to the salad. Pecans and finely chopped celery also add texture. Chopped green onions add flavor. Dressing ingredients include mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Making the dressing separately ensures that honey and other ingredients are evenly distributed in the salad.
Small chicken and vegetable pieces ensure even spreading of toppings on sandwiches. Chicken and vegetables with dressing but little mayonnaise show that they have been properly coated. Large chicken and vegetable pieces and uneven distribution of ingredients on each sandwich show improper chopping. Thoroughly mix chicken and vegetables from the bottom and sides of a mixing bowl. Stir frequently over medium heat when toasting pecans for sandwiches. Chop toasted pecans.
Serve the salad in croissants, soft bread buns, tortillas, lettuce leaves, or without bread. When making this recipe in advance, hold off on serving it with bread until just before serving to avoid soggy bread. You can also serve this cold dish on a party platter. The original article notes that this dish can be made in advance for lunch and parties.
Why this recipe works
- Serves eight with 2½ cups of cooked chicken. One serving can be used for several lunches or snacks or as an appetizer at a party.
- Works well with roasted or grilled leftover chicken and rotisserie chicken bought from stores to save time and add precooked chicken to other meals you are planning.
- Stays work well for serving cold foods because the dressing is prepared separately and can be easily spread over other foods when serving.
- Does not require reheating. This is convenient for taking to school or other places where you might want cold chicken and celery with pecans.
- Makes sandwich ingredients more versatile: Assemble the salad ahead of time. Use croissants, dinner rolls, tortillas, and other wraps made with lettuce leaves as sandwich alternatives.
- Offers tips for batch-cooking pecans, including toasting pecans in a pan for a short time before chopping to improve flavor and texture.
Ingredients
- •2 ½ cups cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (2 chicken breasts or 14 ounces cooked chicken)
- •½ cup dried cranberries (roughly chopped)
- •⅓ cup pecans (chopped)
- •⅓ cup celery (1 stalk, diced)
- •¼ cup green onion (chopped, 2 pieces)
- •¾ cup mayonnaise
- •4 tsp lemon juice
- •1 tbsp honey
- •½ tsp salt
- •¼ tsp garlic powder
- •⅛ tsp black pepper
- •cooking oil spray (optional, for toasting pecans)
Instructions
- 1
Optional: Place the pecans in a pan over medium heat, lightly spray with cooking oil, and toast for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Move them to a cutting board and chop.
- 2
Chop the chicken, pecans, cranberries, celery, and green onions into small bite-sized pieces.
- 3
In a large bowl, add the chicken, chopped pecans, cranberries, celery, and green onion, then mix well.
- 4
In a second smaller bowl, add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- 5
Blend the dressing mixture well with a whisk or fork.
- 6
Pour the dressing mixture over the chicken mixture.
- 7
Mix with a spoon until the chicken and vegetables are evenly coated.
- 8
Scoop and serve in croissants or fluffy rolls, or enjoy on its own.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
259
Protein
11g
Fat
20g
Carbs
10g
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