Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
Filled with tender chicken, sweet-tart dried cranberries, crunchy pecans, fresh celery and onions, and creamy mayonnaise, this quick and easy chicken salad is perfect for sandwiches or on its own. It's a great way to use leftover chicken!
Servings: 4 (about 1 cup each; recipe makes about 4 cups total)
Estimated Calories: 563
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast, or chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup diced celery
- ¼ cup finely diced onions
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly-squeezed is best, but bottled juice can be used instead
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste (I use kosher salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix until well combined and everything is evenly coated with mayonnaise. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.I think the flavor improves if you let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour or two before serving.
Recipe Notes
- This chicken salad can be used to make sandwiches or wraps, it can be eaten on its own, or you can put it on crackers.
- To make this recipe super quick and easy, use leftover cooked chicken or pick up a fully-cooked rotisserie chicken from the store. Otherwise, pre-cook some chicken using your favorite method. 1 pound of uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts will give you the 2 cups of cooked chicken you need.
- Preparation time shown does not include cooking the chicken because you may already have some on hand and not need to do that. Or, if you do need to cook some, the time can vary depending on the method used.
- The amount of salt needed will depend on how well your chicken has been seasoned, so adjust accordingly.
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