Cranberry Chicken Salad

Creamy, sweet, and tangy, this simple cranberry chicken salad recipe is absolutely amazing! It’s filled with fresh ingredients and bright flavors, from celery, apples, and cranberries, to creamy mayo, dijon mustard, and fresh lemon juice. It’s a favorite in my home every winter – one bite and you’ll see why!

What We Love About This Recipe

1. It’s made with ridiculously simple ingredients, but it’s full of so much incredible flavor and mouth-pleasing texture! Tart and tangy cranberries, dijon mustard, and lemon juice. Tender, juicy chicken. Crisp apples and celery. Earthy parsley and creamy mayo. It’s so many different components all in one dish, and they all go together beautifully!
2. We love cranberry chicken salad as a quick and easy lunch or easy-to-grab snack, but it’s also a great option for potlucks, luncheons, and brunches. Especially around the holidays!
3. You can serve it a number of ways! Plop a scoop of cranberry chicken salad on top of a bed of leafy greens, or enjoy it on its own with buttery crackers. I love it on a buttery, flaky croissant, with or without a little lettuce for extra crunch.

Chef’s Tips

• You can cook chicken specifically for your chicken salad (check out this post for my favorite shredded chicken recipe PLUS 5 different methods for easily shredding it!) OR you can pick up a fully-cooked rotisserie chicken and shred or chop it instead! Just, y’know, make sure to remove the meat from the bones first.
• If you’ve got the time, make the cranberry chicken salad at least 3 hours before you need it, and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it! You’re welcome to serve it as soon as it’s made, and it’ll be absolutely delicious if you do. Letting it chill for a while, though, gives all the flavors more time to marinate and meld together.

Check Out These Other Amazing Recipes!

• Brussels Sprouts Salad
• Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
• Whole30 Chicken Salad
• Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
• Italian Dressing Chicken

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5 from 4 votes

Cranberry Chicken Salad

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 0 minutes minutes

Total: 15 minutes minutes

This sweet and tangy cranberry chicken salad is a favorite around my house every winter!

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12 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 pounds cooked chicken diced or shredded, cooled completely
• ▢ 1 ½ cups finely chopped apple approximately 1 large apple, Granny Smith or honeycrisp
• ▢ 1 ½ cups very finely chopped celery
• ▢ 1 cup dried cranberries
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1 cup mayonnaise
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper more or less to taste

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Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• large wooden spoon or silicone spatula
• lid for bowl or plastic wrap, optional

Instructions 

• Add 3 pounds cooked chicken, 1 ½ cups finely chopped apple, 1 ½ cups very finely chopped celery, 1 cup dried cranberries, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to large mixing bowl.
• Stir all ingredients together until fully incorporated. Taste mixture and adjust mayo, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper as desired.
• When satisfied with flavor of salad, cover bowl tightly with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 hours. Alternately, serve chicken salad immediately as desired.

Notes

• Storage: Refrigerate chicken salad in an airtight container up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 358kcal | Protein: 29g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Total Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Net Carbs: 10g | Vitamin C: 2mg | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 418mg | Potassium: 323mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik