With sweet and savoury flavours and a lovely crunch from the nuts, this chicken salad with cranberries and pecans is a deliciously easy go-to lunch idea that hits the spot every time!
Sandwiches. Are they a favourite of yours as they are mine? I could legit eat one every single day, especially this chicken salad sandwich with cranberries and pecans.
Believe me, when you know you’ll be having this chicken sandwich for lunch, your belly will surely do a happy dance (I know mine does).
Fan of chicken sandwiches? Check out this chicken avocado salad sandwich with mango!
Ingredients
- Cooked chicken: Leftover rotisserie chicken is great here. If you don’t have leftover chicken from another meal, you can always grab a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store (those are so convenient).
- Mayonnaise: I love to use full-fat mayonnaise, but you can use a lighter version or substitute half of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt.
- Pecans: Give them a little chop before using.
- Dried cranberries: They provide a nice sweetness to the chicken salad.
- Dijon mustard: Balances out some of the creaminess by adding a little tang.
- Salt and black pepper
How To Make It
This chicken salad recipe couldn’t be simpler! To make it, all you have to do is combine the chicken salad ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Then it’s just a matter of serving! (Full details are in the recipe card below.)
Once you make this chicken salad with cranberries and pecans, it’s sure to be a lunchtime favourite over and over again!
How To Serve Chicken Salad
I particularly love to serve chicken salad on a nice toasty ciabatta bun. Other yummy options are to serve the chicken salad on regular sandwich bread (use your favourite variety), hamburger buns, croissants, or rolled up in a tortilla or piled on top of crackers.
For something a little lighter, the chicken salad is delicious served with lettuce leaves (like Boston or Romaine) for a nice lettuce wrap.
Mix It Up
You can add more colour, flavour and texture to your chicken salad by making some additions. Some yummy options are:
- Salad greens: Add some salad greens when serving, such as baby spinach, baby arugula, Romaine or Boston lettuce. Layer the salad greens onto your bread, then top with the chicken salad filling.
- Herbs: Try mixing a little freshly chopped tarragon (or dried tarragon) into your chicken salad filling. It works wonderfully with it.
- Veggies: Chopped celery or green onion (or maybe a little of both) is great mixed into chicken salad.
Can I Use Turkey Instead?
Absolutely! If you have cooked turkey on hand (especially after Thanksgiving or Christmas), you can totally use that instead of the cooked chicken. Turkey salad sandwiches are equally as delicious, if you ask me!
What To Serve With It
I love pairing chicken salad sandwiches with a simple side. Some delicious options are:
- Potato chips
- Soup
- Crispy potato wedges
- Green salad
- Dill pickles
- Veggie sticks, like carrot, bell pepper and celery
- Olives
More Yummy Sandwich Ideas
If you make this chicken salad with cranberries and pecans, be sure to leave a comment below!
Chicken Salad With Cranberries and Pecans
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (leftover rotisserie chicken is great here)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, depending on how much you want
- 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons sweetened dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- pinch salt, or to taste
- pinch freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- Sandwich bread, sandwich or hamburger buns, croissants, tortillas, crackers or lettuce leaves, for serving
- Salad greens, like baby spinach or baby arugula or your favourite variety (for serving, optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the cooked chicken, mayonnaise, pecans, cranberries, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper and mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Serve the chicken salad mixture on your favourite sandwich bread, buns, croissants, tortillas, crackers or lettuce leaves with salad greens (if using). Enjoy!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
David @ Spiced
Chicken salad is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods! Our neighbor just had a party and ordered a tray of chicken salad sandwiches from a local deli. I’m pretty sure I ate the whole tray by myself. 🙂 This recipe is spot-on, and I love the Dijon mustard in there – Dijon is a requirement in my book!
Michelle
What a delicious combination of flavours — the crunch from the pecans and the tangy cranberries… I’d happily eat this for lunch everyday!