This Cranberry Chicken Salad is easy to make and perfect for meal prepped lunches! It’s packed with bacon, crunchy veggies, and chewy dried cranberries, and is great served on a sandwich, over a salad, or with crackers!
Chicken salad is one of my all time fave lunches. The textures are unreal, it’s so customizable, and it’s great for meal prep, because it only takes 10 minutes to whip up and it’s awesome as a toasted sandwich, served with crackers, or dolloped over a salad!
Ingredients
Dried cranberries and bacon are the MVPs today. The chewy, sweet, slightly tart craisins pair beautifully with the smoky, crispy bacon.
- Olive Oil Mayo – the base for the creamy chicken salad dressing. I like to use olive oil mayo to keep it lighter but any kind of mayo will work — full fat, light, avocado oil based, etc.
- Lime Juice – adds a bit of tang to cut the creaminess from the mayo.
- Garlic Powder, Salt, and Pepper – a simple seasoning blend that adds tons of flavor to the chicken salad.
- Rotisserie Chicken – use rotisserie chicken for easy prep! Feel free to cook your own chicken if a store-bought cooked chicken isn’t available to you.
- Bacon – adds a crispy texture and a smoky flavor. Use my oven baked bacon for the easiest, perfectly cooked bacon.
- Celery and Red Onion – both add fresh flavors and crunchy textures. Make sure you dice your red onion pretty small since the flavor is strong!
- Dried Cranberries – the sweet, tart flavor and chewy texture of the dried cranberries pair so well with the creamy mayo, crispy bacon, and crunchy veggies!
- Roasted, Salted Pistachios – adds a salty flavor and crunchy texture.
How to make
With just 10 minutes of prep time, this cranberry chicken salad is the perfect quick lunch or light dinner!
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayo, lime juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add in chicken, bacon, celery, red onion, cranberries, and pistachios.
- Mix until fully combined then serve or chill in the fridge!
What chicken to use
Any cooked chicken is fine. Use store-bought cooked rotisserie chicken for easy prep but feel free to cook your own chicken if preferred! Either way, you’ll need 1 pound of cooked and cubed chicken.
Variations
- Add other fruit. Try out sliced grapes, diced apples, or another type of dried fruit like raisins.
- Lighten it up. I already lightened it up slightly by using olive oil mayo rather than regular but feel free to lighten it up even more by using 1/2 Greek yogurt. You could also check out my Greek yogurt chicken salad if preferred!
- Swap the protein. Leave out the chicken and swap it for tuna, salmon, or even chickpeas.
- Make it creamier. Mash in some avocado for an even creamier texture and some healthy fat!
How to serve cranberry chicken salad
- On a sandwich. Sandwich it between two halves of a croissant, two slices of your favorite toasted bread, in a pita, or on an everything bagel.
- As an appetizer. Serve it wonton cups similar to my Southwestern chicken salad cups.
- In a wrap. Roll it up in your favorite tortilla.
- On a salad. Serve a dollop of it over a bed of greens.
- As a dip. Slather it on apple slices, celery sticks, or your favorite crackers.
- On its own. Eat it straight out of the bowl. 😉
How to store
Leftovers will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze chicken salad?
I don’t recommend it. The mayo will separate in the freezer and then become thin and watery when thawed.
– Jennifer
Cranberry Chicken Salad
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil mayo
- 1 tablespoon lime juice plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste (I did 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
- 1 pound rotisserie chicken cubed (about 1 small rotisserie chicken - skin and bones removed)
- 6 slices cooked bacon crumbled
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 3 tablespoons red onion finely diced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup roasted, salted pistachios roughly chopped
Recipe Video
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayo, lime juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Stir in chicken, bacon, celery, red onion, cranberries, and pistachios.
- Taste and re-season if necessary.
- Serve or cover and chill in the fridge until ready to eat.
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
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