Cranberry Chicken Salad

This cranberry chicken salad might be the best chicken salad recipe ever! It combines chicken with sweet cranberries, crunchy celery, and nuts tossed in a tangy and creamy homemade dressing. It's the perfect summer lunch or meal prep recipe that takes minutes to make.

The Best Cranberry Chicken Salad

If you love chicken salad, just wait until you try this cranberry chicken salad recipe. Not only is it quick and easy to make, but the flavor is irresistible!

This chicken salad is made with tender cooked chicken breasts, tart and sweet dried cranberries, green onions or crunchy celery, mustard seeds, and savory pine nuts. Everything gets tossed together with a creamy mustard dressing that's just to die for.

It's such a simple chicken salad recipe, but it tastes anything but that!

As good as this classic chicken salad recipe with cranberries is alone, it's even better made into a chicken salad sandwich with any bread that you want or even a croissant.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Quick and easy to make. All you have to do is mix the ingredients together in a bowl and eat immediately or let it chill in the fridge. It'll be ready in just a few minutes!

Foolproof. Even if you've never made chicken salad before, this recipe will turn out perfect. Anyone who tries it will be impressed with how good it is.

Easy to customize. You can add, substitute, or swap any ingredients you want in this chicken salad to make it truly yours.

Versatile. This cranberry chicken salad works as the perfect summer side dish, quick and easy meal prep, or main course for lunch or dinner. 

Ingredients

As I just mentioned, the ingredient list for this easy cranberry chicken salad recipe is super straightforward.

Here's everything you'll need to make this chicken salad with cranberries:

• 3 cups chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• ½ cup celery, sliced (or green onions)
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup mayo
• 1 tbsp. mustard
• 2 tbsp. pine nuts
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• Salt and pepper

You can use some of these ingredients to make my rotisserie chicken salad and Chicken Salad Chick recipe too. They're two other delicious chicken salad recipes you'll want to check out next!

How To Make Cranberry Chicken Salad

1. Combine the ingredients: Take a large bowl and add the cooked chicken, green onions or celery, dried cranberries, mayo, mustard, pine nuts, mustard seed, kosher salt, and pepper to the bowl.

2. Mix the chicken salad: Give all of the ingredients a good mix with a rubber spatula until everything combines. Give it a taste and adjust the salt as needed.

3. Serve: Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate the chicken salad until or serve immediately. Serve cranberry chicken salad as is or between bread or a lettuce wrap to make chicken salad sandwiches. Enjoy!

Tips To Make The Best Recipe

• Use leftover rotisserie chicken to add even more flavor.
• Swap the nuts. Use toasted walnuts to make cranberry walnut chicken salad, toasted pecans to make cranberry pecan chicken salad, or use classic toasted almonds.
• Experiment with adding ingredients to the creamy dressing, like fresh lemon juice or Dijon mustard, for added flavor.
• Add ingredients like hard boiled egg, diced red onion, or sliced grapes for extra flavor.

How To Store Chicken Salad With Cranberries

In the fridge: Store leftover chicken salad in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you're using leftover chicken, the amount of time you can store it will depend on how long you've had the chicken.

In the freezer: Freeze chicken salad by transferring it to an airtight container or freezer-safe bag and freeze it for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

FAQS About This Cranberry Chicken Salad Recipe

Can I make this chicken salad ahead of time?

Absolutely! Chicken salad is one of the best make ahead recipes since the flavors develop even more the longer it's refrigerated. Just mix all of the ingredients and store the chicken salad in an airtight container for up to 4 days until you're ready to serve.

What goes good with chicken salad?

Cranberry chicken salad is delicious on bread to make a sandwich, in a wrap, or piled high on a bed of fresh salad greens. You can also serve it with these Bisquick cheddar bay biscuits, ranch potatoes, or beef back ribs.

How do you make chicken salad taste better?

You can make chicken salad taste better by adding spices like extra salt, lemon pepper seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, or curry powder. You can also add extra ingredients to the dressing, like fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, or sour cream. Extra veggies such as pickle relish, diced onion, celery, toasted nuts, or dried fruit can also make chicken salad taste better.

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