This Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Recipe is easy to make with leftover chicken and full of flavor! It has nutty crunch from walnuts, bursts of sweet/tart cranberries, and a creamy dressing.
The other day Mike and I went to Al Mubarakiya, the old market here in Kuwait. (If you’re interested, you can check out my photos of the old market here on my Instagram feed.) We had absolutely no intention of buying anything. Famous last words, lol!
For him, we came home with four pounds of mixed nuts, one pound of salted pistachios, and two pounds of fresh-roasted Turkish-ground coffee. (Ok, really the coffee is for both of us, lol). And for me, we grabbed two pounds of raw walnuts and one pound of unsweetened dried cranberries.
The problem is, there is a shop there that has the most insanely fresh coffee, nuts, and all manner of things of that sort. You walk in and you want to spend all day just smelling the air and sampling everything.
But of course I don’t think the shop owner would appreciate either of those things. :)
So we usually get in (because we can’t just walk by), get our fill (of stuff we really don’t need but really can’t resist buying), and get out.
Inspiration For This Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Recipe
I was thinking about how to use my goodies, and the idea of chicken salad came to mind. It’s been way too long since I made a good chicken salad, and I knew that had to be remedied. I decided there was no sense in re-inventing the wheel, so I did a quick Google search to see if there were any good-looking chicken salads of this sort hanging around the web. Turns out, there are.
When I saw that Deb from Smitten Kitchen had one, I didn’t even bother looking for inspiration from the other search results. Being the recipe goddess that she is, why would I need to look elsewhere?
Deb talks about how her Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad is her ideal chicken salad…sans things like curry or turmeric. As I was reading her post, I nodded along in agreement, because even though in general I love curry (although admittedly, I much prefer garam masala spice mix over curry spice mix), there is absolutely no place for curry in any chicken salad of mine. Deb and I could totally be besties.
My recipe here was inspired by Deb’s recipe (who loosely adapted her recipe from Gourmet’s recipe for Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts). However, I made a few tweaks to suit my tastes and to use what I had on hand. Like Deb suggests, I’m planning on making it after Thanksgiving with leftover turkey and pecans instead of walnuts.
No pressure, but Deb, if you want to pop by, I promise I’ll have this salad ready.
How Do You Serve Chicken Salad?
This Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Recipe is absolutely perfect served in a number of different ways:
- On top of salad greens for lunch.
- Along with toast and tea for breakfast.
- Made into a sandwich, wrap, or stuffed inside a pita.
- Tossed with pasta that’s cooked to al dente and cooled.
Can You Freeze Chicken Salad with Mayo?
No, I don’t recommend freezing chicken salad with mayo. I find that the texture of mayo gets weird after it’s frozen and thawed.
Pro Tip: You can freeze leftover chicken and thaw it to make this salad!
How to Poach Chicken Breast
This salad is the perfect use for leftover chicken, or for a store-bought rotisserie chicken. But this salad is delicious enough to warrant poaching chicken breast if you don’t have leftovers on hand.
To poach chicken breast:
- Place the chicken in a single layer in the bottom of a medium saucepan.
- Add chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water so that the chicken is covered by about 1 inch of liquid. Add a splash of vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar for this) and a generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper, along with any seasonings you like, such as carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, etc.
- Turn the heat on medium and bring to a simmer (uncovered).
- Turn the heat down slightly to keep it at a simmer, and cook until the chicken is fully cooked (there should not be any pink), about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Drain the water, cool the chicken, and then chop it to use in this salad.
How Long Does Rotisserie Chicken Salad Last?
If you make this salad the same day you roast or buy a rotisserie chicken, this salad will keep for about 3 days covered in the fridge.
More Chicken Salad Recipes to Try:
- Keto BBQ Chicken Salad Bowls
- Thai Chicken Salad
- Best Chicken Salad
- Paleo Rosemary and Red Grape Chicken Salad
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- About 1 1/4 cups cooked chopped chicken breast or about 1/2 lb/225 g raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup walnuts toasted and chopped
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened dried cranberries
- 1 large stalk celery finely chopped
- 1/2 medium white onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup mayo or 1/4 cup mayo + 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Toss together all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Serve, or store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days before serving.
Helpful Tips
- Recipe inspired by Smitten Kitchen's recipe for Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad.
- If you’re using sweetened dried cranberries, feel free to omit the honey or adjust to taste.
- On top of salad greens for lunch.
- Along with toast and tea for breakfast.
- Made into a sandwich, wrap, or stuffed inside a pita.
- Tossed with pasta that's cooked to al dente and cooled.
- Place the chicken in a single layer in the bottom of a medium saucepan.
- Add chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water so that the chicken is covered by about 1 inch of liquid. Add a splash of vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar for this) and a generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper, along with any seasonings you like, such as carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, etc.
- Turn the heat on medium and bring to a simmer (uncovered).
- Turn the heat down slightly to keep it at a simmer, and cook until the chicken is fully cooked (there should not be any pink), about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Drain the water, cool the chicken, and then chop it to use in this salad.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on November 12, 2013. It was updated with more information on February 24, 2020.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items. Thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
This is my favorite chicken salad. I eliminated honey and apple cider vinegar. I used chopped dill instead. Delicious!
The cranberry/walnut combination really appeals and makes this more than a little different from the usual chicken salads . . .for me it will be 100% Greek yogurt also as I do not use mayo ~ shall check for the tartness and balance it . . .
Love this salad. But I am in the curry camp. Just a touch of curry flavors chicken so well – cumin, coriander, cayenne, and a sprinkle of cinnamon! Otherwise i must use chives or a lot of herbs. But that’s why cooking and eating are so fun!
Thats a delicious salad to make with a leftover turkey !! Beautiful clicks :)
i love chicken salad soo muchhhhh that sometimes I make a big batch and eat for lunch and dinner and wont get tired. I will definitely have to try with seasonal flair. Do you think replacing all yogurt would be okay?
Dixya, I usually do a 50/50 combo of Greek yogurt and mayo (but for this batch, I had leftover homemade mayo in the fridge, so that’s what I used…it was so yum :) ). In a 50/50 combo, the Greek yogurt lightens it up a bit and adds protein, and mayo keeps it super creamy. 100% Greek yogurt should work fine if you like it a little bit on the tangy side (and you can pick a more mellow yogurt…I’ve noticed some brands are much tangier than others). The other thing I’ve noticed about using 100% yogurt is that when you refrigerate leftovers, the whey tends to separate to the bottom, making the salad look a little watery…you can either drain it off, or stir it back in before serving. Hope you enjoy this salad if you give it a try! :)
thank you so much. I will most definitely be trying it. I have noticed that with yogurt and will be careful :)
This salad looks awesome, my dear! Perfect for the holidays…my family would eat this up in 2 seconds flat! Gorgeous photos, as always!
Julia, You are so sweet, thank you so much! I had a lot of fun with this shoot…and I sort-of went crazy with the props! :)
Looks just perfect! I usually make mine with all greek yogurt (not a mayo fan). Love the added sweetness
A wonderfully seasonal salad and great combination of ingredients.
Cheers,
Rosa