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Cranberry Chicken Salad

cranberry chicken salad with wooden spoon on the side.
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5 from 1 review

This cranberry chicken salad is a tangy and sweet twist on the classic chicken salad.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) cooked chicken breast, chilled (about 5 cups shredded, see note 1)
  • 1 cup (113 g) dried sweetened cranberries 
  • 1 rib celery
  • 1/2 cup (66 g) finely chopped red onion (from about 1/4 medium red onion)
  • 1/4 cup (8 g) finely chopped parsley 
  • 3/4 cup (107 g) mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste (see notes 2 - 3)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the red onion and parsley. Thinly slice the celery. Set vegetables aside.
  2. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces (or, cut the chicken into 1/2 inch cubes). Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, add the mayonnaise, grainy mustard, lemon juice, kosher salt and black pepper. Whisk to combine.
  4. Add the chicken, dried sweetened cranberries, celery, onion, and parsley to the bowl. Stir to combine the dressing with the salad ingredients.
  5. Taste the salad and add more salt, pepper, and/or lemon if needed. Serve immediately, or, for the best flavor, cover the salad and chill for at least one hour or overnight.

Notes

This recipe is a great use for leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. If cooking the chicken fresh, I recommend poaching it. Here is an easy tutorial on poaching chicken breast.

If using chicken that is already well seasoned, such as store-bought rotisserie chicken, season the dressing with salt sparingly at first and add more as needed.

This recipe was developed using Diamond Crystal kosher salt. To substitute regular table salt, start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more if needed. 

The nutrition information below is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator, and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical, health, or nutritional advice. The nutrition counts of your dish will vary based on the brands and exact amounts of ingredients used. See our full nutrition disclosure policy.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://nibbleanddine.com/cranberry-chicken-salad/