Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad – Easy chicken salad filled with tender chicken, dried cranberries, walnuts, apples, celery, dill, and parsley. For a healthier option, you can use Greek yogurt in the dressing and serve the chicken salad on lettuce instead of bread. VIDEO BELOW!
As the weather heats up in Arizona, I start craving easy no-cook meals. Every weekend I do our grocery shopping for the upcoming week, and I always pick up a rotisserie chicken. Between soup, chili, sandwiches, or salads, I always find a way to use the chicken during the week. Lately we have been using rotisserie chicken for this this easy Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad.
Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
This is my personal favorite version of chicken salad. It includes dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, chopped apple or celery, and just a touch of dill and parsley. The dressing is made from mayo, sour cream or Greek yogurt, and a splash of fresh lemon juice.
This recipe can easily be made lighter/healthier by using Greek yogurt and by serving the chicken salad in lettuce cups or over mixed greens. It’s a fairly low carb recipe (except for the dried cranberries), so for people who try to watch their carb intake, this is a great high protein meal. Note: Full nutrition facts below.
Tips for making Cranberry Chicken Salad
- Take a shortcut with a rotisserie chicken.
- Prefer to cook the chicken yourself? I love this recipe.
- Adjust the seasoning to suit your taste (I like extra dill and black pepper in mine).
- Use toasted nuts (so much flavor!). This recipe calls for walnuts, but pecans or pistachios would be a great substitute.
- Don’t have dried cranberries? I have also used dried cherries and raisins with success.
How do you like to eat your chicken salad? On bread? With crackers? In lettuce cups? Sometimes I just steal bites from the fridge right off a fork. Since this is a high protein, fairly low-carb meal, I can eat it guilt free. And just in time for bathing suit season. 😉
However you decide to eat it I know that you will love it! Extra points if you get to enjoy it while sitting outside on a beautiful, warm day.
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Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt I prefer light sour cream or lowfat yogurt
- 1 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced flat leaf parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 3 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken I use white meat from a rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery or finely chopped apple
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts see note
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt, lemon juice, parsley, and dill. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled on bread or lettuce.
Recipe Notes
To toast walnuts: Place walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and toasted. Watch them carefully so they don't burn. Cool before adding to the chicken salad.
Gorgeous chicken salad Allison. Love the color pop and sweet of the cranberries!
Thanks, Allie!
Yum I love this idea! And that’s a great idea to use it in a sandwich too!
Thanks, Megan!
Ohhhh I totally want this right now! I need to put it on my menu STAT!
Thanks, Julie!
Caloric value?
Hi Angie. I used an online nutrition calculator and got 345 calories per heaping 1/2 cup portion.
Good to know . Not bad for a healthy portion
Made this earlier this week and making it again today its so delicious
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for stopping by, Allie!
I just made it this morning so I could have it for lunch, I had a couple tastes and it was great! I did double the cranberries and walnuts after tasting just because I liked the crunch of the walnuts and a little extra sweetness from the cranberry, and I didn’t have to add any extra mayo mixture because of it, everything was well coated. I’m not decided if I’ll eat this on bread since it was amazing on its own, maybe I’ll use lettuce instead, or I’m sure it’d be great in a salad. If I use bread I bet toasting a 12 grain slightly would be yummy. …possibilities mmmm. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Nicole. I’m glad that you liked it. Thanks for stopping by!
Just wondering if you reconstitute the cranberries in water first?
Looks delicious, don’t know why I never thought of cranberries in chicken salad!
Thanks!
Pam
Hi, Pam. No, I do not reconstitute. Enjoy!
Love this!! It’s a favorite of mine now. I basically eat it out of the bowl by itself for a good low carb meal!
Perfect! Nothing wrong with that. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I make almost the exact recipe but use blanched almonds instead (lightly toasted) & grate my onion bc I like the flavor but not getting a bite of raw onion, no matter how small. Except I always forget about the shortcut of a rotisserie chicken so thanks for the reminder!
Give me all of this!!! SO delicious
This chicken salad has the perfect amount of sweet and crunch!
This looks SO good. Your photos make it even better!
yes! this looks so good! i love that you put the salad in a sandwich too, so hungry right now i could dive in and take a bite!
I usually put walnuts or pecans in my chicken salad, but I haven’t tried dried cranberry yet! They are one of my favorite!
Beautiful looking salad and I’m with you on the no cook meals when the weather heats up. Can’t have too many salad ideas.
This seems like a really great twist on a classic summer dish. I really think it would be great!
This looks absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try this recipe! I love chicken salad!
This looks delicious! Definitely going to try for lunch soon!
Can’t say I have ever had this before, but definitely looking forward to giving it a shot!
Love this recipe! Definitely making it this weekend, being a vegetarian this still sounds delicious and I could just substitute the chicken for something else. Looks so refreshing and healthy and delicious all in one! Thanks for sharing! 🙂