Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad

This simple and delicious Cranberry Pecan (or Walnut) Chicken Salad is fast and easy to whip up with a few pantry staples, and some cooked chicken breast! This salad is great for weekday lunches, and a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken.

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The best (and easiest) chicken salad

This simple recipe for Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad is on HEAVY rotation in my house. It's probably my favorite chicken salad, next to Sazon Chicken Salad. It's so simple, yet so delicious, and is one of my favorite things to do with leftover rotisserie or grilled chicken. it's great for sandwiches, and also makes a quick snack! 

This delicious recipe for classic chicken salad is a great way to use up leftover chicken, and combines tender chicken, crunchy pecans, shallot, crunchy celery, and dried sweet cranberries for an easy and delicious sandwich filling that also works great lettuce wrap!

This great recipe is my favorite way to use up leftover chicken! The best part? It only take 15 minutes! 

What goes into the Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad recipe

This chicken salad comes together in under 15 minutes, with a few simple ingredients you probably have in your fridge and pantry. To make the salad, you will need:

• Cooked chicken breast, chilled. This can be some leftover grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, or some quickly poached or baked chicken.
• Chopped Pecan halves. I like to rough chop these myself, so I can get larger chunks throughout the salad. You can also make this salad with walnuts, if you prefer, or if that's what you have on hand.
• A rib of celery with leaves. The leaves pack a lot of flavor, and I love including them in soups and salad.
• Dried cranberries.
• Some chopped shallot, If you don't have shallot, some green onion (scallion), or red onion would also work.  
• Mayonaise. You can opt for light mayo if you like.
• Apple cider vinegar. I swear by organic, as it is better tasting, and better for you. I store mine in the fridge.
• Some honey.
• Salt and pepper, to taste.

What kind of chicken should I use for the salad?

You can use any cooked chicken you like! I am partial to chicken breast in my salads, so I go with that. But feel free to add dark meat if that's your thing.

I have used leftover grilled chicken and rotisserie chicken for this salad. I have also quickly baked chicken or poached it for the salad if I'm having a craving. All are delicious! I am NOT a fan of canned chicken, so I would not recommend using it.

This salad could also work great with leftover Thanksgiving turkey!

How to make this cranberry chicken salad recipe

1. Add chicken, pecans celery, dried cranberries and shallot to a large bowl.

2. Add mayonnaise, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Toss well to coat.(see recipe card below for full instructions and ingredients list).

Substitutions for the chicken salad

If you don't have certain items on hand, here are some easy swaps for really good chicken salad:

• Instead of dried cranberries, you could use halved red seedless grapes 
• In place of shallot, you could use red onion or green onions.
• As a healthier alternative to classic mayo, you could use light mayonaise. 
• If you don't have pecans, you can make it a Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad instead! 
• Make the chicken salad into lettuce cups for a low card option!
• Try plain greek yogurt instead of the mayo, or try a mixture of mayo and sour cream.
• Add some sliced grapes and diced apples for a play on waldorf chicken salad.
• You can use leftover rotisserie, cooked skinless chicken breasts, or chicken thighs, or even leftover turkey for this recipe!
• Add a teaspoon or 2 of dijon mustard for a little tang!

Building the perfect chicken salad sandwich

The perfect sandwich is all about the bread. Some great options for serving this chicken salad are:

• Plenty of fresh butter lettuce or romaine
• Rye or Marble Rye Bread
• Multi-grain or sprouted multi-grain bread
• Croissants
• Ciabatta buns

Aside from some crisp lettuce and great bread, this salad doesn't need much else!

Storing the chicken salad

This chicken salad keeps for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container, when made with freshly cooked chicken. You can set aside smaller portioned containers for easy meal prep during the week!

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Looking for more great sandwich recipes?

Why not try my Marinated Pork Chop Bánh mì Ciabatta Sandwiches,  Slow Cooker Italian Shredded Pork, Spicy Muffuletta Oven Panini, or Great Grandma’s Sloppy Joe!

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