Name: Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3 - 3 1/2 cups cooked chicken; 3/4 cup dried cranberries; 1 apple - chopped; 1/2 cup pecans - chopped; 1/4 cup green onions - chopped; 3/4 cup mayonnaise; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon pepper

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Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad will soon become your favorite chicken salad, hands down! This easy-to-make recipe has loads of tender chicken, tart cranberries, crunchy pecans, and sweet apples. It’s great as a sandwich, with lettuce as a salad, on crackers, and great for parties and potlucks.

This is my all-time favorite chicken salad recipe. Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad is one of those simple recipes that have the perfect combination of flavors and texture to make it super delicious. It’s great to serve all year long but it’s especially good when you want to have a festive dish to serve for lunch during the holidays or a festive celebration.

This is a terrific recipe for using up leftover chicken or turkey. If there are no leftovers, I snag a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket to keep save time and to keep things simple.

Three Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Croissants on a board.

What Goes In Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad?

Cooked Chicken
Dried Cranberries
Pecans
Apple
Green Onions
Mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper
Garlic

Chicken, pecans, cranberries and apples in a mixing bowl for chicken salad.

What’s In The Salad Dressing?

The salad dressing is what brings all these wonderful ingredients in the chicken salad together. It’s super simple with just 4 ingredients if you count the salt and pepper.

good or homemade mayonnaise – not salad dressing
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
garlic powder

Mayonnaise, salt pepper and garlic dressing for chicken salad.

How To Make This Recipe

This recipe comes together in no time especially if your using leftovers or rotisserie chicken. Just remove the chicken meat from the bone and chop or shred it into bite-size pieces.
Chop the pecans, apple, and green onion.
Add all the ingredients to a medium-size bowl. Add in the mayonnaise (not salad dressing) salt, pepper, and garlic.
Mix everything together and you’re ready to enjoy.
Store in the fridge covered for 3 to 5 days.

Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad in a bowl served with crackers.

How To Serve This Chicken Salad

There are so many yummy ways to serve this salad. My personal favorite is to put a big dollop on a cracker, then sit back and savor. The boys love it served as a roll-up and Mr. SS likes it served in a lettuce wrap.

It is a great dish to serve at lunch when you’re having friends over. And if that’s not enough, it’s always a hit at a covered dish supper and I guarantee you’ll be taking home an empty bowl at the end of the meal!

Chicken salad with chunks of chicken piled on a croissant.

Other Great Salad Recipes You’ll Love

Last but not least…

If you make this Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad recipe, be sure to leave a comment and a rating. I always love hearing from you! Also, if you make it, snap a pic and tag me on Instagram. I’d love to see your photo.