Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad is an easy chicken salad recipe that is sweet, savory, and crunchy from the addition of dried cranberries and walnuts! This is a perfect use for rotisserie chicken for a quick lunch or dinner.
Chicken salad will forever and always remind me of my days working at Panera Bread. Not only did I work at Panera in high school with my bestie, I also met my future husband at a different Panera in graduate school! Panera will always have a special spot in my heart, along with its chicken salad. Every day I worked there, I would order chicken salad on a croissant with a side of either chicken noodle soup or broccoli cheddar soup. Oh so good! I love a good chicken salad and this Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad is my go-to recipe!
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Ingredients
- Chicken - you can use leftover chicken, boiled or baked chicken, or rotisserie chicken.
- Mayonnaise - I use a combo of mayo and yogurt to keep it lower in fat but also super creamy.
- Plain Yogurt - I like using whole milk plain yogurt but non-fat will work, too.
- Dijon Mustard - dijon adds
- Dried Cranberries - dried cranberries add a sweetness to the chicken salad that pairs perfectly with the savory ingredients!
- Celery - I love the crunch that celery adds to chicken salad.
- Green Onions
- Walnuts - chopped walnuts give this chicken salad a delicious crunch!
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
Chicken salad with cranberries and walnuts is so easy to make. Refer to the recipe card for the full instructions.
Cook the chicken. To start, you'll need cooked chicken. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts that I baked, but this is a great use for leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. Chop or shred up the chicken and add it to a medium bowl.
Toast the walnuts. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and add the walnuts to a baking sheet. Toast the walnuts for 8-10 minutes, watching carefully for the last 2 minutes so they don't burn. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Combine remaining ingredients.To the bowl, add mayonnaise, plain yogurt, dijon mustard, chopped green onions, chopped celery, dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts. Stir well and then season with salt and pepper.
That's it! It's ready to eat!
How to Serve Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
This sweet and savory chicken salad recipe can be served in so many different ways. We love eating any chicken salad on croissants and this one is no different! I also love this cranberry walnut chicken salad on bread or in a wrap. In addition, this salad would be delicious on some mixed greens with some tomatoes and cucumbers. The options are endless!
Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Tips and Variations
Use leftover chicken. This is a great use for leftover chicken and rotisserie chicken. Simply shred the chicken and proceed!
Use a stand mixer to shred your chicken. This is my favorite shredded chicken hack! I simply add cooked chicken breasts to a large bowl with a stand mixer and, using the paddle attachment, shred the chicken. It only takes about 30 seconds for the chicken breasts to go from whole to shredded!
Different nuts. If you don't like walnuts or have other nuts in your pantry, use them instead! I would recommend slivered or sliced almonds, pecans, or pine nuts!
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Cranberry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and chopped (about 4 cups)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 green onions diced
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spread walnuts out on a baking sheet. Bake in oven for 7-10 minutes, until they are golden and fragrant. Let cool.
- In a bowl, combine all of the chicken salad ingredients.
- Mix well.
- Serve on bread, croissant, bun, or on top of salad greens.
- Enjoy!
Just the right time! I added a tsp of brown sugar.bcz it was on the counter. My new favorite!
Love it!