Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad is delightfully flavorful, versatile, and adaptable. This creamy chicken salad is filled with crunchy walnuts, sweet and tangy cranberries, and tender chunks of chicken. This recipe is a quick favorite for summer and fall and is easily prepped and packed in advance for lunch and carefree picnics.
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Creamy mayonnaise, sweetly acidic cranberries, and crispy walnut pieces combine to create this crave worthy Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad. Freshly poached chicken or precooked rotisserie chicken may be used to make this subtly seasoned, yet flavorful and tender chicken salad.
This dish is super quick and easy to prepare ahead of time and may be enjoyed for lunches, picnics, last minute meals and snacks. A staple recipe for summer and fall, which is versatile and easily adjusted to accommodate your tastes.
Try adapting this recipe by using your favorite herbs and spices to season, like I did in my recipe for Curry Chicken Salad. You really cannot go wrong when using your favorite flavor combinations to compliment this creamy, tender chicken salad.
If you are looking for a straightforward and simple to prepare recipe, then go ahead and make this Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad.
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe calls for only 4 main ingredients to compose this uncomplicated, but delicious salad. By using precooked chicken, you will have this dish fully prepared in a matter of a few minutes. It is a quick and easy dish to prep ahead of time too.
Sweet cranberries perfectly brighten and balance the subtle flavors in this chicken salad. The addition of crunchy walnuts provides a complimentary nuttiness and textural contrast to the creamy chicken as well.
You can choose to serve this chicken salad in a variety of different ways. Try it in a sandwich on gluten free bread or on top of a bed of lettuce for a lighter option. Serve chicken salad accompanied by fresh vegetables or use it to make tortilla and lettuce wraps.
It is even just as delectable eaten straight out of the bowl. You may choose to use different mix-ins and make substitutions to create your own unique chicken salad – the possibilities are endless!
How to Make Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- Cooked Chicken: you can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or cook it just prior to making the recipe. The best ways to cook chicken for chicken salad are mentioned below.
- Cranberries: use dried cranberries for this recipe. Fresh cranberries are much too tart. You can also substitute grapes, raisins or chopped apples.
- Walnuts: you can easily substitute pecans or almonds, if preferred.
- Mayonnaise: use your favorite. I personally prefer Duke’s.
- Optional: mix in diced celery and onion, your favorite herbs, garlic and/or lemon juice to suite your own tastes. Some recommendations are given below.
The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can also print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
Dice the chicken small, or shred it.
Chef’s Tip: you can use leftover or rotisserie chicken to make this recipe really quick to prepare. If you need to cook the chicken, the best way to cook chicken for chicken salad is to poach it in chicken stock for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
A while back, I heard a podcast interview with the creator of Chicken Salad Chick, a restaurant that specializes in chicken salad. She stated that after a lot of testing, they found that the best chicken for chicken salad was boiled. While I have never had chicken salad from this restaurant (sadly, there are no locations near me), it is very popular.
To back that up even more, in Culinary Arts school, my instructor also has us poach chicken in chicken stock when making chicken salad.
You can also use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot that will make the process quicker and the chicken with practically fall apart when it’s done. Any other method of cooking chicken will work, it just may not be quite as tender.
Create!
In a medium size bowl, add the chicken, mayonnaise, dried cranberries, and walnuts. I also like to add a little dried thyme to mine. In Culinary Arts school, we add fresh marjoram, chervil, oregano and tarragon. So, you can see that a variety of herbs, fresh or dried, work great in chicken salad.
Chef’s Tip: you can use more or less mayonnaise to suite your own tastes. If you want more of an aioli flavor, add a little garlic and lemon juice to the mayonnaise, until you reach your desired flavor, before mixing it into the salad. You can also use this recipe for Roasted Garlic Lemon Aioli, if you’d like.
Present!
Chicken salad can be served in a variety of ways. Here are a few suggestions on how to enjoy it:
- as a sandwich
- as a wrap
- on top of lettuce
- on crackers – I love Triscuit crackers with this recipe.
- plain right out of the bowl!
Tips and Techniques
- You can easily adapt this recipe to suite your own tastes. Some like to add celery and onion, others dried or fresh herbs. You can also use aioli instead of mayonnaise or add lemon and garlic to your mayonnaise before mixing it into the chicken.
- If you need to cook the chicken ahead of time, the best way is to poach it in chicken stock. You can also use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot that will make the process quicker and the chicken with practically fall apart when it’s done. Any other method of cooking chicken will work, it just may not be quite as tender.
- Store any leftover Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-5 days.
FAQ’s
Can You Make Chicken Salad Ahead Of Time?
Chicken salad can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Why Is My Chicken Salad Watery?
Chicken salad can get watery when you add vegetables like celery and onion to it. It’s best to either serve it immediately when using these veggies, or wait to add them until just before serving.
Can You Freeze Chicken Salad?
While you can freeze chicken salad, it is not recommended. Once thawed the texture will be unpleasant due to the mayonnaise.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Bites
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken (cooked and diced or shredded)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Combine chicken, mayonnaise, dried cranberries and chopped walnuts in a medium size bowl. Mix well.
- See notes for additional mix in suggestions.
- Serve as sandwiches, salad, wraps, on crackers or straight out of the bowl.
Notes
Tips and Techniques
- You can easily adapt this recipe to suite your own tastes. Some like to add celery and onion, others dried or fresh herbs. You can also use aioli instead of mayonnaise or add lemon and garlic to your mayonnaise before mixing it into the chicken.
- If you need to cook the chicken ahead of time, the best way is to poach it in chicken stock. You can also use a pressure cooker or Instant Pot that will make the process quicker and the chicken with practically fall apart when it's done. Any other method of cooking chicken will work, it just may not be quite as tender.
- Store any leftover Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-5 days.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on December 5, 21018. It was updated with an improved recipe, new images, step-by-step instructions, tips, techniques and video in March 2021.
Caroline says
Those look like tasty little bites, perfect for an appetizer plate.
Jamielyn says
LOVE this idea!! Such an easy appetizer!
Taylor Kiser says
These look so delicious! Definitely a great party appetizer that everyone will love!
Noel Lizotte says
I love Triscuits! Mom’s favorite is the olive oil / rosemary combination … any of them would be wonderful with this chicken salad. Can’t wait to mix up a batch … maybe during movie time this weekend.
Jacque Hastert says
This sounds like a great winter lunch idea. Saving for later!