Cranberry chicken salad is one of my favorite easy lunches to make once fall shows up. It’s creamy, crunchy, and full of flavor thanks to juicy bites of chicken, crisp celery, sweet-tart cranberries, chopped pecans, apples, and green onions. The simple mayo-based dressing gets a bright kick from lemon juice and a hint of garlic powder–just enough to tie everything together. It’s even become one of my traditions to make cranberry pecan chicken salad sandwiches for post-holiday meals. Yum!
Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
I’m a huge chicken salad lover, and when the holidays start to roll around, I like to make it festive! Enter this cranberry chicken salad. It’s rich and creamy but with an autumn twist. I add dried cranberries, plus chopped apple and pecans to this fall chicken salad to give it a festive flair. It’s juicy and slightly sweet with a wonderful nutty crunch from the pecans. I can’t stop making it, and it’s also super delicious with leftover Thanksgiving chicken, too!
I love using sweet Honeycrisp apples for this chicken salad, but truly any kind is delish in this recipe. Granny Smiths add a tart contrast to the sweet-tart cranberries and the creamy dressing.
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Poach Your Chicken for the Best Flavor
For the juiciest, most flavorful chicken salad, I recommend poaching your own chicken breasts instead of using rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken (though any cooked chicken works here). Gently simmer the chicken in lightly salted water (or broth with bay leaves and peppercorns) until just cooked through. This method keeps the meat tender, moist, and neutral in flavor, so it doesn’t compete with the cranberries, apples, and pecans. It’s a classic chef technique that makes this cranberry pecan chicken salad truly stand out.
Cranberry Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from ½ lemon)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch kosher salt (to taste)
- 1 pinch ground black pepper (to taste)
For the Chicken Salad:
- 4 cups chopped cooked chicken (*)
- 2 ribs celery (finely chopped)
- 1 cup pecans (chopped)
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- 1 apple (finely chopped**)
- 3 green onions (finely chopped)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper.¾ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 pinch kosher salt, 1 pinch ground black pepper
- Stir in the chicken, celery, pecans, cranberries, apple, and green onions.4 cups chopped cooked chicken, 2 ribs celery, 1 cup pecans, ¾ cup dried cranberries, 1 apple, 3 green onions
- Serve with crackers or bread, or as a sandwich on a roll, croissant, or lettuce wrap.
Notes
- If the dressing seems too runny, add a bit more mayonnaise. If it’s too thick, add more lemon juice.
- I love this chicken salad best when it’s been chilled for 2-3 hours, or up to overnight, so the flavors have time to meld.
Note: Water, salt, pepper, oil, and broth are not counted as ingredients on this site.
How to Make Cranberry Chicken Salad Step by Step
Prep: Gather the list of ingredients for cranberry chicken salad. Juice the lemon, chop the cooked chicken and pecans, and finely chop the celery, apple, and green onions.
Make the Dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together ¾ cup of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Add the Chicken: Stir in 4 cups of chopped cooked chicken, 2 ribs of finely chopped celery, 1 cup of chopped pecans, ¾ cup of dried cranberries, 1 finely chopped apple, and 3 finely chopped green onions. I like to toss the cut apple in a bit of lemon juice (from the other half of the lemon) before adding it to the salad to help keep it from browning prematurely.
Mix and Serve: Serve your cranberry pecan chicken salad with crackers or bread, or as a sandwich on a roll, croissant, or lettuce wrap.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
Store leftover cranberry apple chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy cold. I do not recommend freezing chicken salad.
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