Divinely tangy, this Cranberry Chicken Salad recipe folds in seasoned chicken breast with a tasty mix of celery, cranberries, and pecans. Toss the ingredients in our creamy homemade dressing. Easy one bowl prep in under 5 minutes!
Who doesn’t love a tried-and-true potluck recipe? Recipes like Hawaiian Crockpot Meatballs, Pesto Tortellini, and Quinoa Salad make lunch or potluck prep easy.
Truth be told, I was never a fan of classic southern chicken salad. That all changed the day I braved a bite of the batch that a friend brought to a girl's getaway. It was simply divine!
The tangy ranch dressing and red onions are probably the secret. I added cranberries for brightness and nuts for an element of sweet texture. This is the PERFECT chicken salad. Where have you been all of my life?!
Ingredients and Notes
Recipe quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card, but you can see how I chop things and some notes on what you can use. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need for this recipe:
Veggies: I tend to dice/petite dice all of the veggies in this salad to get a good mixture.
Ranch: Hidden Valley packets are best, but store-brand can be substituted. My recipe for healthy greek yogurt ranch dip works very well here too.
Greek Yogurt: I use plain Greek yogurt. It doesn’t overwhelm the flavor and it cuts calories. Sour cream can be substituted but the flavor will be slightly altered.
Best Chicken for Cranberry Chicken Salad
The best chicken is the one that is easiest for YOU! All of these options work well:
- I use store bought rotisserie chicken for the most chicken flavor.
- Canned chicken.
- Pre-cooked grilled chicken breast meat.
- Shredded chicken.
- Leftover chicken with compatible seasonings.
Variations and Fun Additions
The recipe is quite flavorful without any additions. However, it’s fun to play with ingredients as your moods or tastes fluctuate. Here are a few suggestions that I've tried before:
- Eggs
- Pickles
- Walnuts or almonds
- Celery Seed
- Grapes
Get more creative with it!
- Although I generally just chop the chicken for texture, this is a great use for shredded chicken.
- Add grapes, raisins, or diced apples for more natural sweetness.
- This recipe calls for pecans, but you can add almonds, cashews, or walnuts.
- Sour Cream can be substituted for Greek yogurt, although I do find it slightly alters the taste.
- This recipe takes a total time of 5 minutes to throw together if the items are prepped, but I like to refrigerate it for at least 1-2 hours to give the flavors time to come together.
- Use a rotisserie chicken for fastest prep. Remove the skin and chop chicken into pieces.
- While you can boil the chicken, I find that the recipe gets a bit soggy.
- If you like a spicy kick mix in a bit of cayenne pepper.
How to Serve
As sandwiches: Serve on soft croissant rolls or hearty grain bread. I top the sandwiches with juicy tomatoes and fresh greens.
Picnic Favorites: Fresh cut fruit is one of my favorite sides, perhaps with Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip or Cake Batter Dip. It also works well alongside church picnic favorites like Tri-color pasta salad, Broccoli Apple Salad, and Crunchy Asian slaw.
On Salads: It also makes a fantastic salad on top of a bed of spring greens. No extra dressing needed!
Dipping: One of my favorite ways to serve this salad is with crackers. I’ve also used celery and bell peppers as dippers.
Watch The Recipe Video
Watch how fast this recipe comes together in the video below. Full written instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
If you’ve spent your life refuting chicken salad, let this be the recipe that sets you free!
Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t allow this to sit at room temperature or warm sun over 2 hours. Serve in cool environment or on ice. This recipe will stay fresh 3-4 days if properly refrigerated and sealed in an air-tight container.
I don't recommend freezing because the dressing ingredients will separate. Cooked chicken is appropriate to freeze and defrost in the refrigerator a day before making. The celery and onions can also be diced ahead of time.
Keep seasoning light by sticking to salt, pepper, garlic, and/or onion powder.
I tend to stick to classic celery and red onion. If you feel like being creative, I suggest bell peppers, cucumber, green onions, or even sweet peas.
I meal prep every week, and this is one of my favorite summertime recipes. Perfect for a picnic or cold work lunch. Serve on a bed of greens or with a side of sliced apples. For keto diet, use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt. For lower calories, swap out the mayo for plain Greek Yogurt.
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Cranberry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups Cooked, diced chicken breast grilled, sauteed, or rotisserie are great
- 1 stalk Celery, diced
- ¾ cup Dried cranberries
- ½ cup Chopped pecans
- ¼ cup Plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Ranch Dressing
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ½ cup Red Onion, diced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, put all ingredients in together. Stir and fold to combine.
- It can be served immediately but it is best to cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to allow flavors to meld and cool.
- Serve on bed of lettuce, or on croissant rolls.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Rotisserie (plain), canned, or freshly grilled/sautéed chicken works great for this recipe. I find that boiled chicken is a bit too wet and not as flavorful.
- Sour Cream can be substituted for Greek Yogurt, although I do find it alters the taste just slightly. You can also cut calories by using Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
David Lovell says
My local grocery store has these in their deli section, but of course like all the other premade items in the deli it is ridiculously overpriced. This recipe makes it affordable to have one every day instead of once a week with minimal effort. I used canned chicken, which is something I avoid for everything else, but thought it would go well in the salad, and it did. For easy reference, 5 oz is one cup. Excellent recipe!
Edwin says
This is a great chicken salad recipe. I really like using cashews as they have a creamier texture.
Pam Avoledo says
The cranberries add a sweetness to the chicken salad. It really adds to the flavor. Personally, I think it’s best way to eat it. It’s one of the ingredients that once you’ve tried it, you’ll notice when it’s gone.
Pam says
This looks so good! I love cranberries and celery in chicken salad.