Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
This light, bright cranberry pecan chicken salad with apples makes a delicious lunch to meal prep or to share. Creamy, tangy, easy to make!
Servings: 4
Calories: 288kcal
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 1 medium apple diced, see note
- 1/4 small red onion diced
- 1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt or mayo any mix that you like
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, celery, apple, red onion, pecans, cranberries, and thyme or rosemary.2-3 cups cooked chicken, 3 stalks celery, 1 medium apple, 1/4 small red onion, 1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or rosemary
- Add the Greek yogurt or mayo and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I start with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and add more until the flavors really pop.) Add more yogurt or mayo for a creamier consistency, if you like.1/2 cup Greek yogurt or mayo, kosher salt and black pepper
- Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes.
- Serve cold with crackers, in sandwiches, over salad greens, in wraps, etc. Enjoy!
Notes
- Chicken: Rotisserie or other pre-cooked chicken works, but it's also easier than you may think to poach chicken breasts yourself, and the results are excellent for chicken salad: tender, juicy, and easy to dice or shred. I like to poach chicken by simmering in well-salted water for 15-20 minutes, then dicing or shredding after it has cooled in the fridge.
- Apple: Aim for a relatively firm apple variety, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Fuji.
- Pecans: Purchase pre-toasted or just set them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes while prepping the other ingredients. Sunflower seeds or pepitas are always a good nut-free swap.
- Yogurt vs. Mayo: I prefer more yogurt, but in my experience you can mix these according to taste as you like. Using at least part mayo does tend to yield a more smooth, glossy coating over the other ingredients.
- Storage: Chicken salad keeps at least 4 days tightly covered in the refrigerator. If you want to perk that final helping after a few days, I find sprinkling on an extra touch of flaked sea salt and fresh lemon juice makes the old new.
Nutrition
Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 374mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 86IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg