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Recipe Index Ā» Recipes Ā» Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

Published by Meaghan on October 30, 2016 | last updated on March 2, 2022.

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Stir the seasonal flavors of Fall right into this yummy sandwich spread. Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad is a healthier version of chicken salad without sacrificing an iotta of flavor. The seasonal flavors included go together so perfectly, it tastes like it came from your favorite gourmet sandwich shop– not whipped up in minutes at home. One thing’s for sure, it’ll have you looking forward to lunchtime– even counting down the minutes and eyeing your lunch bag with envy.

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad sandwich cut in half to show the inside with more chicken salad in a wooden bowl shown in the background

By now if you haven’t already had it confirmed, you’ve probably figured out that meals around our house are no ordinary thing.

One day I might throw together a gourmet meal of banquet proportions. The next day it might be a 15 minute meal that only requires one pot to cook in.

Night number three? That might be the night I don’t feel like cooking anything or even looking at my kitchen. That night my guys fend for themselves.

Luckily, there’s almost always leftovers of some sort. And Chef Boyardee.

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

Also because the husband has to brown bag it every day for work, there’s always a variety of lunch stuff’s on hand.

And because I try to keep some variety in the packed lunch game, there’s a bevy of sandwich fillers and spreads in the fridge. Lunch meats and nut butters aside, we love a good meat ‘salad’.

Ham, Tuna, Chicken– we love em all.

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad and leaf lettuce sandwiched between two fluffy slices of honey wheat bread on a green background

 What started as an effort to stretch them out, making them more filling while going farther, has gradually morphed into a running experiment with flavor and texture combinations– in sandwich form.

Like seriously, some of the stuff we comes up with tastes like I ordered it from my favorite sandwich shop. Take this sandwich for example– Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad.

It’s adds a little pizzazz into your day with each bite. It’s a great way to make any lunch break memorable.

It’s also easy to toss a container of to your hangry teen at dinner time, along with a loaf of bread when it’s there time to eat, but they don’t want to cook dinner either.

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad sandwich cut in half to show the inside with more chicken salad in a wooden bowl shown in the background

This creamy Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad is a healthier, lightened-up version that’s perfect for Fall.

Chunks of rotisserie chicken, toasted walnuts, and sweet dried cranberries are tossed together with a creamy dressing. Topped with a little lettuce and paired with soft, multi-grain bread it’s a lunch that will leave you savoring each flavorful bite.

You’ll love it so much you might even be sad when it’s all gone. Sad enough even to pack a second sandwich in your lunchbox the next day.

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad shown in a wooden bowl with sliced sandwich bread in the background

 

Love Chicken Salad? Find Other Tasty Ways To Prepare The Classic Spread

What are your favorite ways to prepare chicken salad? Your favorite mix ins? I can’t wait to hear them– share them with us in the comments!

In the mean time, don’t miss these other chicken salad options:

  • Curry Chicken Salad with Red Grapes & Pecans
  • Lemon Tarragon Chopped Chicken Salad
  • Tex Mex Chicken Salad
  • Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad

If you’ve tried this CRANBERRY WALNUT CHICKEN SALAD or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

A lightened up chicken salad that embraces seasonal Fall flavors. It's quick & easy, but tastes like it came straight from your favorite gourmet sandwich shop.
4.37 from 33 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Sandwich
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 158kcal
Author: Meaghan @ 4 Sons R Us
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt I prefer light sour cream or lowfat yogurt
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1-2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/4 tsp dried dill
  • 3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts
  • salt & pepper to taste
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add in the chopped nuts, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes, or until they're fragrant and lightly toasted. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Set them aside to cool completely.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, parsley, and dill until smooth and evenly combined. Fold in the remaining ingredients until everything in the salad is evenly incorporated. Salt and pepper the chicken salad, to taste. Serve as is, or refrigerate until chilled through.
  • Serve this salad on sliced bread as a sandwich, with freshly sliced apples, or even on large lettuce leaves for low-carb wraps.

Notes

recipe adapted from Celebrating Sweets

Nutrition

Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 82IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @4sonsrus or tag #4sonsrus!

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4sonsrus about us graphic

Hi! I’m Meaghan

Welcome to my kitchen. Pull up a chair and get ready to dig into family friendly, easy recipes and meal ideas. I’m a self proclaimed, proud pickle snob and cheese lover. Aside from that, I’m also the mom to 4 busy boys, elementary school through college aged. My boys keep my husband and I busy, and boy, do they like to eat. A lot. Read more...

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Comments

  1. Sylvia Mashaw says

    October 30, 2016 at 9:25 pm

    Have you ever tried this recipe substituting Turkey for Chicken?

    Reply
    • 4sonsrus says

      October 30, 2016 at 9:56 pm

      I haven’t, but that’s a great idea! It would blend perfectly with the flavor profile šŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. Michelle says

    November 4, 2016 at 9:40 pm

    I love chicken salad!
    The crunch of the celery and onion with the creaminess of the dressing! Yum!
    I love that you use cranberries and not raisins!
    Thanks
    Michelle

    Reply
  3. easypeasylifematters says

    November 5, 2016 at 4:46 pm

    My mouth won’t stop watering this sounds and looks so good! šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • 4sonsrus says

      November 5, 2016 at 4:47 pm

      Thank you so much! You’ve got to give it a try– we’re obsessed.

      Reply
  4. Maggie says

    November 8, 2016 at 5:37 pm

    in college we had a similar salad but I think they used grapes instead of cranberries. This sounds amazing and looks so pretty as well.

    Reply
  5. Suzanne says

    November 8, 2016 at 8:17 pm

    Your photo’s are just beautiful and that chicken salad is spectacular. Thank you so much for bringing to the party.

    Reply
  6. Rachel says

    November 20, 2017 at 6:59 pm

    AMAZING! So much better than store bought chicken salad.

    Reply
    • 4sonsrus says

      November 21, 2017 at 2:22 pm

      So glad you liked it, Rachel! It’s one of my favorites as well.

      Reply
  7. Jennifer says

    March 27, 2018 at 3:25 pm

    How many servings does this make?

    Reply
    • 4sonsrus says

      March 27, 2018 at 8:12 pm

      Hi, Jennifer! I updated the recipe card to show that it’s 4-6 servings, depending on portion size.

      Reply
  8. Jennifer says

    March 29, 2018 at 1:07 am

    Wow! Now I feel like a pig (lol). I read your note late and it only made three servings for me. It was good though :).

    Reply
    • 4sonsrus says

      March 29, 2018 at 12:30 pm

      I mean, what’s a serving size reeeeaaaallllly? And who’s counting calories when it comes to something this yummy? This is a judgment free zone šŸ™‚

      Reply
  9. run 3 says

    April 6, 2018 at 9:01 am

    5 stars
    Look so delicious!!! I want to eat all of this at the first moment when I see them.Thank you for sharing these food.

    Reply
  10. y8 games says

    May 29, 2018 at 7:03 am

    5 stars
    i love it. very tasty. i want to eat all this

    Reply
  11. stick fight says

    May 29, 2018 at 7:14 am

    5 stars
    love it. thanks for sharing

    Reply
  12. happy wheels says

    June 5, 2018 at 11:22 am

    5 stars
    Amazing. i will try it at home. looks like tasty

    Reply
  13. Melinda says

    July 18, 2018 at 11:04 pm

    This turned out awesome! I added red grapes and hard boiled eggs. A little extra salt and was just amazing. Thank you for this great recipe

    Reply
    • 4sonsrus says

      July 19, 2018 at 8:50 pm

      Yummy! I’ll have to give your add-ins a try next time I make this for lunch. Thanks for the feedback, so happy you enjoyed it. Can’t wait to hear what else you find & love on our site šŸ™‚

      Reply
  14. Rhonda Brunson says

    December 21, 2018 at 4:32 pm

    I also added eggs and used pecans instead. Wonderful! We served on butter bread rolls for sliders.

    Reply
    • 4sonsrus says

      December 21, 2018 at 4:44 pm

      I love the idea of serving it as sliders- it’d make it perfect party finger food too. I’ll have to give it a try next time adding in the eggs. Thanks for the suggestion!

      Reply
  15. Brian Kerr says

    June 20, 2019 at 12:15 am

    5 stars
    Delicious. I subbed in dried fenugreek instead of parsley.

    Reply
  16. Taylor says

    May 19, 2020 at 2:29 pm

    How much does this make and what is the nutritional value if you know it?

    Reply
    • 4sonsrus says

      May 19, 2020 at 3:55 pm

      It makes about 6 large sandwiches for us, but I’ve stretched it to 8 before. The nutritional value listed in the recipe card is for a single serving of just the chicken salad itself, and doesn’t account for any bread or fixin’s.

      Reply

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Welcome to 4 Sons ‘R’ Us

Hi! I’m Meaghan. Welcome to my kitchen. Pull up a chair and get ready to dig into family friendly, easy recipes and meal ideas.

I’m a self proclaimed, proud pickle snob and cheese lover. Aside from that, I’m also the mom to 4 busy boys, elementary school through college aged. My boys keep my husband and I busy, and boy, do they like to eat. A lot.

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