What is chicken salad with cranberries and pecans?
Chicken salad with cranberries and pecans is a creamy chicken salad recipe made with tender chicken, dried cranberries, crunchy pecans, celery, and mayonnaise. It's sweet, savory, crunchy, and perfect for sandwiches, croissants, lettuce wraps, meal prep lunches, and easy entertaining.
Quick look at the recipe
⏱ Ready in: 15 minutes 🍽 Serves: 6 🥣 Difficulty: Easy ✔ Make-ahead friendly: Yes
If you love the kind of chicken salad served at Southern luncheons and baby showers, but want something easy enough for weekday lunches or to take to the beach, this cranberry pecan chicken salad is for you.
I've tested this recipe with both freshly cooked chicken and store-bought rotisserie chicken, and honestly, rotisserie chicken gives the best flavor-to-effort payoff for busy lunches and easy entertaining.
This easy Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Pecans is creamy, crunchy, slightly sweet, and packed with flavor from tender rotisserie chicken, tart dried cranberries, buttery roasted pecans, crisp celery, and a simple mayonnaise dressing.
It's one of those old-fashioned chicken salad recipes that feels special enough for bridal showers and holiday lunches but is easy enough to throw together for meal prep or a quick weekday lunch.
I've made this recipe countless times over the years for everything from ladies' luncheons to casual family lunches, and it always disappears fast, especially when served on a buttery croissant or tucked into lettuce wraps.
Jump to:
- What is chicken salad with cranberries and pecans?
- Quick look at the recipe
- Why you'll love this cranberry pecan chicken salad
- Ingredient notes and easy substitutions
- Easy variations to try
- How to make chicken salad with cranberries and pecans
- Best ways to serve cranberry chicken salad
- Perfect for meal prep lunches
- Make-ahead and storage tips
- How to keep chicken salad from getting watery
- FAQs about cranberry pecan chicken salad
- Tips to ensure this recipe for cranberry chicken salad turns out perfectly
- More easy chicken salad and rotisserie chicken recipes
- Join the conversation
- Recipe:
Why you'll love this cranberry pecan chicken salad
- Cranberry pecan chicken salad is versatile and always popular at baby and bridal showers or ladies’ luncheons. It can be served in lettuce cups or piled high on a croissant. It’s also great for making sliders on crusty sourdough bread for finger sandwiches or Hawaiian rolls.
- It only takes minutes to make, and did I mention it is delicious?
- It’s also perfect for a light dinner entree. For a flavorful main dish salad, add a few scoops of chicken salad with cranberries and pecans to a bowl of chopped lettuce, shredded carrots, chopped tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers.
Around here, a good chicken salad recipe is almost a Southern rite of passage, and this cranberry pecan version, along with my Wild Rice Chicken Salad, are the ones I come back to again and again.
Ingredient notes and easy substitutions
(Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.)
- Chicken – To save time, I use a purchased rotisserie chicken. You can also roast your own by using my Oven-baked Bone-In Chicken Breasts recipe or use leftovers from making my grilled half chicken or grilled spatchcock chicken. Cut it into small bite-size cubes or shred it; it’s up to you.
- Mayonnaise – adds creaminess and its rich signature tanginess. It’s important not to scrimp and to use good quality mayonnaise in this recipe. I like and use Duke’s.
- Celery – is an essential component in classic chicken salad recipes; it provides great flavor, a pleasing crunch, and a nice pop of color. I like to use celery hearts because they are more tender, but you can use regular celery too.
- Lemon juice – adds a nice citrusy element and a bright, fresh, clean taste.
- Dried cranberries – with their rich jewel-like color and intense sweet-tart flavor combine with the roasted pecans to transform an ordinary chicken salad into something extraordinary!
- Roasted pecans – with their rich buttery taste and delightful nutty crunch combined with the cranberries produce an incredibly delicious chicken salad that will make you wonder why you haven’t been adding them all along.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper – season the dish and enhance all of the flavors of the ingredients.
Easy variations to try
This is a versatile recipe, and you can change it up in any number of ways. Here are a few ideas:
- Swap toasted slivered almonds or walnuts for the pecans. Or, substitute stovetop candied pecans for roasted pecans.
- Change the dressing up a bit by replacing some of the mayonnaise with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, or add a teaspoon of dijon mustard. Season the dressing with a quarter of a teaspoon of curry powder or add half a teaspoon of poppy seeds.
- Add fresh herbs such as parsley, tarragon, or dill.
- Substitute fresh red or green grape halves or quarters for the dried cranberries, or add chopped apple or pineapple. Add chopped onion, hard-boiled eggs, or relish.
- Use leftover fried chicken, cast-iron roast chicken, broiled chicken thighs, baked chicken, or even leftover turkey instead of a rotisserie chicken.
How to make chicken salad with cranberries and pecans
- Remove the skin and bones from your rotisserie chicken and either chop the meat into small bite-size cubes or shred it.
- Add the chicken, celery, cranberries, and pecans to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Top with the mayonnaise, lemon juice, kosher salt, and pepper, and combine.
- While you can serve it immediately, for the best flavor, cranberry pecan chicken salad should be chilled for at least an hour before serving.
Best ways to serve cranberry chicken salad
This chicken salad is a make-ahead wonder that can be served in various ways. It is perfect for feeding a crowd or just a few people.
- When I serve it as a chicken salad sandwich, I like to add Deviled Eggs or a scoop of my Southern Potato Salad or Southern Broccoli Salad as a side dish.
- If I am serving it as a main dish salad, I like to include a slice of my Cheesy Texas Toast Garlic Bread, Old-Fashioned Cornbread, a few Hoe Cakes, or a piece of my Sausage Cheese Bread.
- To serve it as the filling for finger sandwiches for a ladies’ luncheon or bridal shower, finely chop all of the ingredients and use the chicken salad as a filling.
- Or, you can serve it as a snack or appetizer by adding a small scoop to crackers.
Perfect for meal prep lunches
This cranberry pecan chicken salad keeps beautifully in the refrigerator, making it one of my favorite make-ahead lunch recipes. I often portion it into containers for quick lunches during the week or serve it with crackers, croissants, or lettuce cups for easy no-cook meals.
A good Southern chicken salad recipe should be creamy, crunchy, and just a little bit irresistible-and this one checks every box.
Make-ahead and storage tips
- Leftover cranberry chicken salad should be stored in your refrigerator, covered, and will last up to 4 days. Of course, this depends on the freshness of the individual ingredients. I don’t recommend freezing it.
- Yes, this cranberry chicken salad is ideal for meal prep and can be made ahead of time.
How to keep chicken salad from getting watery
- Pat the chicken dry before mixing
- Don't overdo the lemon juice
- Finely chop the celery instead of slicing thick pieces
- Chill the cranberry chicken salad before serving so the dressing firms up
- If making ahead, stir before serving
FAQs about cranberry pecan chicken salad
Yes. In fact, this chicken salad tastes even better after chilling for a few hours, as the flavors have time to blend. Store it in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Rotisserie chicken is the easiest option and adds great flavor. You can also use leftover roasted chicken, baked chicken breasts, grilled chicken, or even turkey.
Yes. Craisins work perfectly in this recipe and are one of the most common dried cranberry brands used in cranberry chicken salad recipes.
Croissants are one of the most popular choices because they pair beautifully with the sweet cranberries and crunchy pecans. Toasted sourdough, sandwich bread, and Hawaiian rolls also work well.
I don't recommend freezing it. The mayonnaise-based dressing can separate after thawing and change the texture.
Yes, you can omit the pecans or substitute them with sunflower seeds or pepitas.
Tips to ensure this recipe for cranberry chicken salad turns out perfectly
- With only a half cup of mayonnaise, this chicken salad recipe is on the dry side, which is how I like it. If you prefer more dressing, feel free to add a quarter cup more mayonnaise, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt.
- When you are adding the salt and pepper, keep in mind that purchased rotisserie chickens vary in saltiness depending on what flavor you buy and where they are purchased.
- Save the skin and bones from your rotisserie chicken and celery scraps to make homemade chicken stock.
- You can make the roasted pecans in the oven or because it’s a small amount, use your microwave. To microwave chopped pecans, place them in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate and microwave at one-minute intervals for six to seven minutes. The amount of time varies depending on the wattage of your microwave and the size of the nuts. Start tasting them to see if they are done at about the five-minute mark.
- While you can find some recipes that say you can use canned chicken, I don’t recommend it for making this cranberry chicken salad. It will have a different taste and texture.
- Whole rotisserie chickens have a combination of both dark and white meat. I use both in this recipe. However, if you prefer white meat only, you can use just the breasts and save the thighs and drumsticks for another meal.
More easy chicken salad and rotisserie chicken recipes
If you are like me and always on the lookout for an easy chicken recipe, you might want to check out these recipes on my blog:
If you need more recipes or menu ideas, you can find all of my chicken recipes here.
Join the conversation
Did you make this Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Pecans? I'd love to hear how you served it! On croissants? In lettuce wraps? Straight from the bowl with crackers? Leave a comment and star rating below, your feedback helps other readers and always makes my day.
And if you love easy Southern-style lunch recipes, be sure to check out more reader favorites here on Grits and Pinecones.
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Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken, white and dark meat, three to four cups total
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- ½ cup mayonnaise, I like Duke’s
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped roasted pecans
Instructions
- Remove the skin and bones from the rotisserie chicken and either chop the meat into small bite-size cubes or shred it.
- Add the chicken, celery, cranberries, and pecans to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, kosher salt, and pepper, and combine.
- While you can serve it immediately, for the best flavor, you should chill this dish for at least 30 minutes before serving it.
Anne Hoblitzell
Perfect balance of nuts, celery & berries. Had not thought to add lemon juice, the secret ingredient! Delicious lettuce wraps
Sharon Rigsby
Hi Anne, Thank you so much for your kind comments. I am so happy you enjoyed this salad. It is one of my favorites, too!
All the best,
Sharon