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 or a salad and so good for parties and potlucks.
Cool salads like Southern Ham Salad, Tuna Salad, or Avocado Chicken Salad are never boring and are packed with flavor!
This is my all-time favorite chicken salad recipe. Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad is a simple recipe with the perfect combination of flavors and texture to make it super delicious. Whether I serve it for a quick dinner alongside a bowl of potato soup, or as an easy lunch side dish with Parmesan cheese staws, it’s always a welcome sight on my table.
What Makes This Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Special?
- Leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken is a great choice for this salad because it makes it so fast to put together!
- It’s great to eat throughout the week, particularly after a holiday when you are craving something a little lighter.
- A really, really good salad dressing recipe takes this chicken salad from good to great! It’s made in minutes with pantry and fridge staples.
Ingredients Needed For Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
- Cooked Chicken – white or dark meat are both great to use. I often use leftover chicken breast or chicken thighs.
- Dried Cranberries – take this salad, Family Favorite Chopped Salad, and Broccoli Cauliflower Salad to a new level with just the right amount of sweetness.
- Pecans – a classic Southern ingredient.
- Apple – I like to use Honeycrisp apples that have a tart sweetness.
- Green Onions
- Salt and Pepper
Variations And Substitutions
- Leftover turkey from Thanksgiving or the holiday works great in this recipe.
- Use nuts like walnuts, slivered almonds, or sunflower seeds for added crunch.
- Get a bit fancy and add Candied Pecans.
- Red onions are a great addition for a bit of savoriness.
- Add Dijon mustard to the mayo dressing for a bit of spice.
- Celery, grapes, or pears are also great to add.
- You can use plain Greek yogurt and lemon juice in a pinch instead of mayo.
How to The Best Chicken Salad With Pecans And Cranberries
- 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 large mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients for the dressing, then add it to the chicken mixture.
- Mix everything, taste it, and adjust the seasoning, and then you’re ready to enjoy.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
How To Make The Dressing?
- Good or homemade mayonnaise – not salad dressing.
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Garlic Powder
Whisk everything together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Pour over the chicken and other ingredients. Using a large spoon or spatula, toss all ingredients together until well mixed.
Success Tips
- Chop the chicken so it’s bite-sized. Some recipes shred the chicken, but I’ve found chopping the chicken makes it easier to eat.
- Mix the dressing ingredients in a large bowl, then add everything else. This saves you from cleaning more dishes!
- Double the batch so you have meals for the whole week. The easiest way to meal prep is to double what you’re already making!
Questions And Answers
Yes, this chicken salad can be made two days before you are ready to serve it.
Yes, if you don’t have enough leftover chicken, you can supplement it with rotisserie chicken or fresh-made chicken. You can also use more apples in place of some of the chicken in a pinch.
Yes, I always recommend tasting the salad and adjusting it as needed. If you like more pepper, add more pepper, if you like fresh herbs, try adding some fresh herbs like dill.
This chicken pecan cranberry salad will last for 3-5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
More Delicious Salad Recipes To Make
If you tried this Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 – 3 ½ cups cooked chicken
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- 1 apple – chopped
- ½ cup pecans – chopped
- ¼ cup green onions – chopped
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Add chicken, cranberries, pecans, apple and green onion to a medium-size bowl.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together mayonnaise, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour over chicken and other ingredients. Using a large spoon or spatula, toss all ingredients together until well mixed.
- Serve immediately. It can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
- Leftovers – Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
Nutrition
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Hi
Thanks for this recipe. I cooked my chicken in salt and spices then use the rest of the ingredients. For the sauce I eliminate the salt because the chicken is already salty. I substitute the mayo with sour cream and added a touch of paprika. The chicken salad was a hit at the baby shower. everyone was asking where I got the recipe, so I refer them to this recipe.
Hey there Rosie!
It sounds like you made an absolutely delicious dish, adding paprika and sour cream was a great idea! Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing this recipe, I really appreciate your support! If you ever have any questions about a dish, please don’t hesitate to reach out, I’m always happy to help!
~Donya
Delicious, I will definitely make it again.
Hey there Joyce!
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, it makes for a delicious lunch or an easy weeknight dinner! Thank you so much for your kind words and your fantastic rating, I appreciate your support!
~Donya
Hi Donya, I made Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad and it is wonderful!! I gave some to my neighbor and the rest for us and we just love it!! My neighbor does, too!! I used a honey crisp apple in my salad. What kind do you use? Thank you!!
Hey there Sally!
I am so happy to hear y’all enjoyed this recipe, it’s a classic! That’s a really great question, and to be honest, the type of apple I use will change depending on what I have. Honey Crisp apples are my favorite in this salad, but I also enjoy pink ladies and on occasion green apples. I hope this helps, and I hope you enjoy! Thank you for your support!
~Donya
This is a perfect way to use up leftover roasted chicken. I made only a few changes due to necessity — I didn’t have celery, so I used some celery salt and I added a little lemon pepper seasoning. Otherwise, I made just as directed and we loved this chicken salad. Great as a sandwich or on top of greens. : )
Hey there Nancy!
Thank you so much for your kind words and this fantastic rating! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this Chicken Salad, it sounds like you made some delicious adaptions, I bet the lemon pepper seasoning was delicious. If you liked this recipe you should check out my Artichoke Chicken Salad recipe, it’s just as delicious but it has a different flavor combination! Thank you so much for your support, if you ever have any questions please feel free to reach out! Happy Holidays!
~Donya
This is an excellent recipe, perfect for a fall lunch to use up some apple. I added in some red wine vinegar and changed out the green onions for red onion…because that’s what I had on hand. Definitely tasty!
Hey there Jeannine!
Wow! Thank you so much for your kind words, I am so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I completely agree with you, this recipe makes the PERFECT fall lunch. If you liked this recipe, you should check out my Artichoke Chicken Salad, it’s a fresh, bright, flavorful salad I really think you would enjoy. Thank you for your support, I hope you have a great day!
~Donya
I’m going to be making this with some left over rotisserie chicken, but I wanted to know if I could substitute the mayonnaise for yogurt?
Thanks,
Priscilla
Hey there Priscilla!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that’s a great question! I’ve never personally tried this substitution, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I think that using Greek yogurt would probably work the best, since it’s a little more savory. Give it a try and let me know what you think, I’m very interested! Thank you for your support, I hope you have a great rest of your day!
~Donya
Hi Donna,
Thank you for getting back to me.
I made a small test batch, I didn’t care for it. Unfortunately, for me there’s no replacement for the mayonnaise flavor, so I made 5he rest with Mayo and it was good.
Thanks for the recipe; it’s staying in my collection of favorites.
Priscilla
Hey there Priscilla!
No problem, happy to help out! It’s hard to replace an ingredient like mayo without changing the flavor of the dish too much, but I am glad you ended up liking it with the mayo. Thank you for your support and I hope you have a great Labor Day Weekend!
~Donya
Going to give this recipe a try this week. Getting a roasted chicken at SAM’s club. It makes great chicken salad.
Hey Moe!
Thanks so much for leaving a comment, I think you’re absolutely right, that’ll be great in this salad! I hope you enjoy this recipe, let me know how it goes!
~Donya
Can you use greek yogurt instead of the mayo?
Hey Edith!
That’s a great question! You could absolutely try substituting Greek yogurt for mayonnaise. Now I will tell you I’ve never personally done that, so I’m not sure how the flavor would change, I expect it would be a little more tart. If that is the case, I would also add about a tablespoon of honey to balance it out. Let me know how it goes, I’m very curious! I hope you enjoy!
Why not use miracle whip? I don’t care for mayonnaise!
Hey Peggy!
Good question! You can absolutely use miracle whip as a substitute for the mayonnaise if that is what you prefer. The recipe posted is simply how I make it, but I encourage you to make it your own to suit your preferences! I hope you enjoy, let me know how it goes!
~Donya
This chicken salad is amazing! My family loves it and it’s so easy to make. Thank you for the recipe.
Excellent recipe !! The only thing extra I added were sliced almonds, along with the pecans. In addition I used smoked garlic which added a smoky flavor to this great recipe.
Hey there Larry!
My goodness those sound like some absolutely delicious additions! I bet the smoked garlic was incredible, I’ll have to try that some time. Thank you so much for your rating, and your kind words of support!
~Donya
This recipe is fantastic! I made some tweaks by going about 2/3 sour cream and 1/3 mayo – I’m not big fan of mayo anyway and the sour cream gives it nice freshness. Also, I used chicken breasts that I smoked on my Traeger grill with hickory. Added great smokiness.
Just a great recipe! Thanks for sharing it!
Hey there Deborah!
Wow! Thank you so very much for this terrific rating, and your kind words! From what you said, it sounds like you made some delicious alterations to this recipe, I bet using smoked chicken breasts gave it an absolutely delicious flavor! Thank you so much for your support, if you ever have any questions about a recipe just leave me a comment and I would be happy to help! Have a great day!
~Donya
Deelish
I added grades sliced in half
Hey there Gg!
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, adding grapes was a terrific idea, I bet that was delicious! Thank you so much for your kind words and your amazing rating, I really appreciate your support!
~Donya
Love,love this chicken salad! Best I have ever had!
Hey there Colleen!
My goodness, thank you so much for your kind words and your rating! I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, if you liked this one you should check out my Artichoke Chicken Salad, it’s just as easy to make and it has fantastic savory flavors. Let me know if you ever have any questions about a recipe, I’d be more than happy to help, and thanks again for your support!
~Donya