This Cranberry and Pecan Chicken Salad is so delicious and super easy to make! It's ready in just 15 minutes, with minimal ingredients, and is amazing over greens, bread and croissants. The recipe uses a store-bought rotisserie chicken to save on time!
Chicken Salad is my go to party recipe for brunch, lunch, baby & wedding showers and hosting for Mother's Day, etc. It's so easy to prep ahead and pop in the fridge until ready to serve.
You can easily double or triple this recipe. I like serving it beside a variety of greens, and croissants. If it's a party and I'm making a spread of recipes, I'll buy mini croissants. This way, people don't fill up on just chicken salad, and can eat a bit of everything. For a smaller gathering with less options, buy the regular, full sized croissants.
Looking for more easy brunch recipes? Try this Dill Pickle Egg Salad, Crunchy Kale Salad, Cantaloupe Salad, Broccoli and Bacon Quiche, and Strawberry Pecan Salad.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Quick and Easy. This Chicken Salad recipe is ready in 15 minutes with just some chopping and toasting pecans for easy prep.
- Make it for a Party. This is by far one of my most requested recipes for brunch or lunch parties. It's easy and eliminates rushing and having to keep food hot and fresh.
- Meal Prep Friendly. This is a fantastic salad to make on Sundays for simple lunches to take to work or school, or just to have ready to eat on busy days.
- High in Protein. Chicken salad is high in protein from the chicken and a great way to keep energy throughout the day.
For more prep ahead lunch ideas, try these Greek Chicken Tzatziki Wraps, Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps, Dill Pickle Potato Salad, and Balsamic Vinaigrette Pasta Salad.
Ingredients:
Chicken: A store-bought rotisserie chicken is used in this recipe to save on time. Plus, it always has really tender cooked meat and I love it for chicken salad recipes.
Cranberries: Tart and chewy in texture and overall a great addition to chicken salad. I recommend the Craisins by Ocean Spray. They are always really fresh and juicy in the bag. I've bought other kinds that are really dried up with a hard texture, which is the worst.
Pecans: Chopped and toasted for a deeper, earthy flavor. Look for whole or chopped in the bags, not the chips, which are really small and almost ground.
Celery and Onion: Classic ingredients in chicken salad that offer a lot of crunch.
Mayonnaise: Adds a creamy texture and binds the ingredients together.
Dijon Mustard: Brings in a tangy taste with a hint of spice.
Lemon Juice: Keeps the ingredients fresh and provides just a touch of citrus. Use fresh squeezed lemon juice in this recipe, no imitation, for a higher quality taste.
Parsley: A classic herb in chicken salads and brings in a nice, fresh element of flavor.
*Full recipe ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
If you don't want to use rotisserie chicken, substitute with two chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper & bake at 350 degrees on a baking rack over a cookie sheet, for 25-35 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. The time required in the oven depends on the thickness of the chicken.
Love grapes in chicken salad? Feel free to slice them in half and add about ½ cup into the mix.
For a creamier chicken salad, add in 1 tablespoon at a time of mayonnaise until you get the desired texture.
Instead of pecans, toasted slivered almonds or walnuts can be used.
Check out this Classic Chicken Salad on Croissants, if you want a more traditional version with dill.
If you have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, try this Turkey Cranberry Salad recipe.
Looking for side to serve with this recipe? Check out this post on What to Serve with Chicken Salad for lots of ideas!
How to Make Cranberry and Pecan Chicken Salad (Step by Step Instructions):
Step 1: Remove the skin from the rotisserie chicken. Carefully hand pull the meat from the bones, and dice the chicken into smaller pieces. Set aside.
Step 2: Into a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat on the stovetop, add in the chopped pecans. Cook for 2-4 minutes until toasted, stirring frequently. As soon as the pecans start to brown and smell fragrant, remove to a plate.
Step 3: Place the pecans on a cutting board and give them a rough chop.
Step 4: Into a large bowl, add in the diced chicken, toasted pecans, onion, celery, parsley, cranberries, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
Step 5: Stir to combine, then refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- When working with the rotisserie chicken, remove the skin and make sure to remove all the bones from the meat before chopping.
- Watch the pecans while toasting and remove from pan as soon as they are toasted. They can burn really quickly.
For more Summer lunch favorites, try this Mediterranean Chopped Salad, Southwest Chicken Rice Bowls and Pancetta and Pea Pasta.
Buying Tip 💰:
This recipe only calls for a ½ cup of pecans. If you don't want to buy a giant expensive bag or container of pecans, look for a small bag in the baking isle.
I was able to find the Fisher brand, chopped pecans, in a tiny ½ cup bag for only a few dollars.
Recipe FAQs:
I like to scoop this chicken salad over fresh romaine hearts for lettuce wraps, or use croissants or fresh Italian or sourdough bread. If you're looking for additional side dishes to go with chicken salad, check out this post on What to Serve with Chicken Salad.
All Chicken Salads are not created equal, but they do have similar things in common like chicken, for instance. Most have a crunch with vegetables like celery and onion and a mayonnaise or yogurt based sauce is used for creaminess and to bind the ingredients together. Different variations include pecans and cranberries like in this recipe, or there are more classic recipes, like this Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwich, that use less ingredients with dill as a main component.
Store leftover chicken salad in a sealed container, I like glass containers with tight fitting lids, in the refrigerator.
If stored properly, the chicken salad will be fresh in the fridge for 3 days.
More Yummy Salad Recipes You Will Love:
If you tried this Cranberry and Pecan Chicken Salad, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Cranberry and Pecan Chicken Salad
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 cups 1x
Description
This Cranberry and Pecan Chicken Salad is so delicious and super easy to make! It's ready in just 15 minutes, with minimal ingredients, and is amazing over greens, bread and croissants. The recipe uses a store-bought rotisserie chicken to save on time!
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, then meat diced small
- ½ cup pecans, whole or roughly chopped (not chips, which are too small)
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced fine
- 2 celery stalks, diced fine
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the rotisserie chicken. Carefully hand pull the meat from the bones, and dice the chicken into smaller pieces. Set aside.
- Into a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat on the stovetop, add in the chopped pecans. Cook for 2-4 minutes until toasted, stirring frequently. As soon as the pecans start to brown and smell fragrant, remove to a plate.
- Place the pecans on a cutting board and give them a rough chop.
- Into a large bowl, add in the diced chicken, toasted pecans, onion, celery, parsley, cranberries, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
- Stir to combine, then refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- When working with the rotisserie chicken, remove the skin and make sure to remove all the bones from the meat before chopping.
- Watch the pecans while toasting and remove from pan as soon as they are toasted. They can burn really quickly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Fridge Cooling: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Cierra
The best chicken salad and so easy! I love the toasted pecan addition too.
Tara Smithson
Thanks so much Cierra! I'm so glad you enjoy it!