If you’re looking for a great main dish protein, look no further than this easy Cranberry Chicken Salad recipe. With tender chicken breast, chopped celery, dried cranberries, and a tangy poppy seed dressing, this classic chicken salad is a treat!
Naturally gluten free, it makes for a tasty Cranberry Chicken Salad Sandwich as well as a great addition to a combination salad plate. This recipe is a delicious addition to your Tea Party Food Ideas list alongside Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sandwiches and our best-ever Orange Scones.
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Chicken Salad is such an easy main dish to prep! Whether you use freshly cooked chicken or open a can, it’s a good cheap eat you can pull together with regular grocery staples. Plus, it tastes amazing and feels fancy!
Last month, my sister and I took our youngest girls for a tea party with my mom. Janel brought a Cranberry Chicken Salad from Trader Joe’s that I have now recreated at home — for less. It’s packed with flavor and so very delicious. Get it on your meal plan this week!
Why Make This
It’s easy! You’re going to love how easy it is to whip up a batch of this low carb Cranberry Chicken Salad. With an easy, homemade poppy seed dressing, it mixes up in minutes.
It’s delicious. Whether you’re in for a classic chicken salad or have a hankering for Trader Joe’s Wine Country Chicken Salad of which this is a copycat, you’re in for a treat. It’s sweet and savory, creamy and tangy, tender and crunchy in every bite!
It’s make-ahead. Chicken Salad is great for a lunchtime meal prep. You can make it on Monday and it will be good for lunches all week.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Cranberry Chicken Salad:
mayo – I like to use mayo in my chicken salad recipes, either Best Foods or homemade mayonnaise. You can also use sour cream or plain Greek yogurt if you prefer.
white wine vinegar and lemon juice – In order to make a copycat of Trader Joe’s Wine Country Chicken Salad, I’ve used both white wine vinegar and lemon juice to bring flavor and tang to the dressing. You can use all one, a combination, or another vinegar like apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar. In a pinch, you can also use lime juice.
poppy seeds – Poppy seeds add a little texture and interest to this Cranberry Chicken Salad. You can also add sesame seeds or caraway, if you like. Don’t waste the jar of poppy seeds. Be sure to make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake.
honey – Add a bit of honey to taste, to round out the flavors of the lemon and white wine. You can also use sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup.
salt and black pepper – The seasonings for this are pretty simple. Just salt and pepper. For a little kick, feel free to stir in a bit of Dijon mustard or cayenne pepper.
chicken – You’ll need cooked chicken breast that has been cubed, chopped or shredded. This can be chicken breasts you cook yourself in the instant pot or slow cooker, canned chicken, skillet chicken tenderloins, or even a rotisserie chicken, one of the cheapest ways to buy chicken these days. You can also use leftover roast turkey from a holiday meal!
celery – Chopped celery gives great crunch to this salad. If you like, you can also add finely chopped red onion. Remember, you can freeze leftover celery or use it in an Easy Vegetable Tray.
dried cranberries – Craisins are delicious in this recipe, but you can also use raisins or chopped dried apricots. Use leftover dried cranberries in Oatmeal Craisin Cookies.
pecans – While we’ve used chopped pecans in this recipe, it’s easy for you to swap them out for another nut. For cranberry walnut chicken salad, use chopped walnuts. Other nuts you might use are almonds or cashews.
sliced bread, rolls, or croissant for serving – If you’d like to make sandwiches, have some bread, rolls, or crossiant for serving. This salad is great on crackers and lettuce wraps as well. It makes an amazing lunch wrapped in a tortilla like a burrito. Yum!
Pro tip: this is an ideal salad to serve in summer!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make Cranberry Chicken Salad:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, poppy seeds, honey, salt, and pepper.
Add the chicken, celery, cranberries and pecans. Fold gently to combine. Adjust the seasonings. Chill for several hours for best flavor.
Serve in sandwiches or as part of a salad plate.
Store Cranberry Chicken Salad in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
FAQs
You cannot freeze chicken salad that contains mayonnaise as it will separate and be a weird, soggy mess. However, you can very easily make a freezer kit of some of the components, like the prepped chicken, nuts, and cranberries. These can be bagged separately and collected together in the freezer. Then add the fresh celery, seasonings, and dressing when you’re ready to serve. Halfway is still a great headstart on made ahead of time!
The secret is in the sauce, of course! Think about the ingredients that bring flavor, especially the salt and acid. Be sure that you’ve seasoned it sufficiently. You’ll be amazed at what a little extra salt and pepper can do for a boring salad or an extra squeeze of lemon juice or dash of vinegar.
Cranberries, either dried or as a cranberry sauce are great with chicken. Stir dried cranberries into your salad directly or spread a bit of cranberry sauce on the bread before assembling a chicken salad sandwich. So good!
More Great Salad Recipes
Love cranberries? Be sure to try our Cranberry Cookies for a delicious, sweet treat.
Tell us what you think!
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Cranberry Chicken Salad
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- wire whisk
- rubber spatula
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- honey to taste
- salt
- black pepper
- 2 cup chicken (cooked and cubed)
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoon pecans (chopped)
- sliced bread or croissant for serving
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, poppy seeds, honey, salt, and pepper.½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, honey, salt, black pepper
- Add the chicken, celery, cranberries and pecans. Fold gently to combine. Adjust the seasonings. Chill for several hours for best flavor.2 cup chicken (cooked and cubed), 2 ribs celery, ½ cup dried cranberries, 2 tablespoon pecans (chopped)
- Lay out four slices of bread on a work surface. Spoon about ½ cup salad mixture over each slice, spreading gently to cover. Add top slices to sandwiches and cut in half. Serve immediately.sliced bread or croissant for serving
Lynne
How much honey do you use when you make it? I have no idea what a good starting point would be.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks
This sounds good! I’m looking forward to trying it. I have everything I need, so hope to make it during the Challenge. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Erica
I had just enough shredded chicken on-hand to make a half-batch, and I am sorry that I couldn’t make a full batch! SO tasty and so simple! Thank you for a great supper 🙂