Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad

Many holiday celebrations happen at dinner time. Many recipes therefor are for dinner meals. What about lunchtime recipes? This festive cranberry pecan chicken salad is a perfect choice for your lunchtime festivities!

I love to add different ingredients into chicken salad.  Sweet and salty combos are the best!  This particular recipe is perfect for the holidays not only because of the flavor, but also the colors.

Most of our family holiday celebrations happen at dinner time.  Rarely are we together for lunch.  On Christmas Day we are usually driving around lunchtime between my hubby’s parent’s home and my parent’s home.  We eat breakfast so late at my in-law’s house there is no way lunch is going to be consumed.  But what if you have a gathering at lunchtime and want salads and sandwiches instead of hot food?

Combining the flavors of the holiday and winter season is a great option.  What says Fall/Winter more than cranberries and pecans?  These ingredients also add an interesting texture and flavor combination to chicken salad. The colors are pretty too, which is a bonus.

Tips to make cranberry pecan chicken salad.

• You can easily make chicken salad with a store-made rotisserie chicken or cook your own chicken.
• I cook chicken breast in chicken broth over the stove top.
• This batch only used two large chicken breasts, but you can get about 8-10 1/2 cup servings out of the recipe.
• You can use Greek yogurt in place of half the mayonnaise in order to decrease the fat content.

For other Holiday recipe suggestions check out my Christmas Cheer Pinterest board.

Here are a few other lunchtime suggestions:

Caprese Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Cosi’s Signature Salad

Zucchini Caprese Salad

Apple Walnut Salad.

5 from 2 votes

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Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad

Prep Time

5 mins

Total Time

5 mins

 

This cranberry pecan chicken salad is perfect for a holiday lunch.

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8

Calories: 228 kcal

Author: Jennifer Pullman

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts cooked and shredded
• 2 stalks of celery diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup low calorie mayonnaise or mayonnaise of your choice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine chicken, celery, onion, cranberries, and pecans.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Add into chicken salad mayonnaise, salt, and pepper.
4. Mix well.
5. Serve on a bed of lettuce or small club rolls.

Nutrition Facts

Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad

Amount Per Serving (0.25 cups)

Calories 228 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 15g 23%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 21mg 7%

Sodium 234mg 10%

Potassium 213mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 17g 6%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 11g

Protein 7g 14%

Vitamin A 1.5%

Vitamin C 1.9%

Calcium 2%

Iron 3.1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I prefer chicken salad served on a bed of lettuce, but don’t mind a good roll or toasted wheat bread either.  How do you enjoy chicken salad? Let me know in the comments below.

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Protein-packed leftover turkey salad

Summer Chicken Salad

Apple Harvest Salad with Apple Dijon Vinaigrette

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