Creamy and Crunchy Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

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Cranberry walnut chicken salad features tender chicken, crisp celery, crunchy walnuts, sweet and tangy cranberries, and spices, all folded together in a creamy dressing.

Serve cranberry walnut chicken salad with a side of crackers or pita chips for a hearty snack. Put it between slices of bread for a delicious sandwich. Or serve it on a bed of greens, in lettuce wraps or scooped into lettuce cups. So many easy options from this one easy recipe!

I love using more than just white meat chicken breasts for this cranberry walnut chicken salad recipe. Shredding a whole chicken and using a mix of white and dark meat gives the chicken salad a better flavor and texture. You can pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store or roast a chicken in the slow cooker for a budget-friendly option. It’s also a great recipe for using up leftover chicken or even leftover turkey.

What You Need

Ingredients for Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

Cooked Chicken
Onion
Celery
Dried Cranberries
Walnuts
Mayonnaise
Sour Cream
Lemon Juice
Garlic Powder
Dried Tarragon
Salt

How to Make Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

In a mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic powder, tarragon and salt. Set aside.

On a cutting board, roughly chop the dried cranberries and finely chop the walnuts.

Combine chicken, onion, celery, cranberries and walnuts in a large bowl.

Add the mayonnaise mixture and toss well to combine.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad on a bed of greens

Enjoy!

Tips on Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

Can I use low fat or fat free mayonnaise?

Yes! You can lower the fat and calories in this recipe by using low fat or fat free mayonnaise and sour cream. Greek yogurt can also be used instead of the sour cream if you prefer.

What can I use instead of dried tarragon?

Tarragon goes really well with chicken, but if you don’t have any tarragon on hand, swap it out for dried oregano or just leave it out completely.

What do I serve with Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad?

Serve this chicken salad on a bed of greens, on some bread for a sandwich, or with a pile of crackers for an easy snack or light lunch.

What if I don’t like dried cranberries?

Use dried cherries instead of the cranberries!

What can I use instead of walnuts?

Make it cranberry pecan chicken salad by swapping the walnuts for diced pecans.

Try it with turkey!

This is a great recipe to make with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner. Just swap the chicken for cooked, diced turkey. (Use both white and dark meat!)

Can I freeze chicken salad with mayonnaise?

Nope. The creamy dressing and the celery in this recipe aren’t going to survive being frozen. Leftover chicken salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so make what you need and eat it up!

Roast Chicken in Your Slow Cooker

Want to roast your own chicken for this recipe? Grab your slow cooker! Slow cooker roast chicken is insanely easy and more budget friendly than buying a rotisserie chicken from the store.