Cranberry Chicken Salad
This cranberry chicken salad combines savory cooked chicken, crunchy celery, tart-sweet dried cranberries, and a tangy mayo-based dressing. This simple and tasty recipe is a great fridge staple for a protein-filled snack or sandwich filling. Assemble it in just 15 minutes using rotisserie chicken or your favorite leftover cooked chicken.
Table of contents
Chicken salad is one of the most regular meals in my eating rotation (along with Salmon Salad and Egg Salad, my other two favorites). It’s one of the few savory, healthy foods that doesn’t need to be eaten warm, so it can easily be packed for lunch, picnics, and potlucks.
Chicken salad can be made many different ways, from Waldorf Chicken Salad to Curry Chicken Salad. But this cranberry chicken salad is my holy-grail classic, the one I come back to again and again.
I love the variety of textures and flavors in this recipe. You get savory chicken, crunchy celery, tart and slightly chewy dried cranberries, and a creamy dressing. And it can all be made in about 15 minutes!
Make it with leftover grilled chicken breasts, use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, or cook some chicken breasts just for this salad. Pack it for a picnic with some crackers or lettuce wraps or layer it onto crusty asiago black pepper bread with tomato slices and greens for a filling lunch.
What Readers are Saying
“Literally THE best Chicken Salad Recipe!!! My family loves it and begs me to make it. Also is a favorite of my extended family and I’m frequently asked to make large batches of it for family get-togethers, bridal showers, and baby showers.” -Tammy
“Best chicken salad ever! I add the zest of one lemon and a little smoked paprika to mine and it is so good! We never tire of it.” -Melanie
A Note from the Author
2026 update: This post was originally shared way back in 2014 and has remained a reader favorite since then. I have since updated the photos and added new tips for making the best cranberry chicken salad. Enjoy!
Testing Notes and Tips
Use a good mayonnaise – It’s wild how much the taste quality varies among mayonnaise brands at the grocery store. Using a good mayo makes all the difference in this chicken salad with dried cranberries. Homemade mayonnaise is my favorite—it has the best flavor and it’s easier to make than you probably think! Sir Kensington’s and Duke’s are good store-bought options.
Chill the salad for at least an hour before serving – This is optional, but ideally you want to chill the cranberry chicken salad for at least an hour before serving, to allow the flavors to meld and the dressing to soak into the meat. This is a recipe that gets better as it sits.
Have fun trying different variations – I adore this recipe as written, but it’s the kind of recipe you can easily tweak based on what you have on hand or your family’s preferences.
What is the Best Chicken to Use in Cranberry Chicken Salad?
This chicken salad recipe uses diced cooked chicken. Any simply seasoned cooked chicken will work, making it a great way to use up leftover grilled chicken, spatchcock chicken, or classic roast chicken.
You can also grab a rotisserie chicken from the store or pick up pre-cooked chicken breasts.
If you want to cook chicken specifically so you can make this chicken salad with dried cranberries, I recommend my slow cooker chicken breast recipe. You get juicy, evenly cooked meat every time and it’s easy to make ahead of time.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the full recipe, including ingredient measurements, scroll down to the recipe card below.
- Cooked, diced chicken: Shredded chicken will also work, although you may need to increase the dressing slightly. You can also use leftover roasted turkey from Thanksgiving, although it will have a slightly different flavor.
- Diced celery: For a nice crunch. If you want a crunchy texture but don’t care for celery, try using chopped apple instead.
- Dried cranberries: Don’t use fresh cranberries—they’re much too tart for this recipe. Tart dried cranberries, raisins, or dried currants would also work nicely.
- Diced red onion: If you struggle with the bite of red onion, soak the diced onion in ice water for about 15 minutes, then drain well before using. Chopped shallot or sliced green onions also have a milder flavor and would work well.
- Fresh basil: Thinly sliced. Fresh tarragon or thyme would also work nicely here.
- Mayonnaise: As I mentioned above, use a good mayo here. You could swap half of the mayonnaise for plain Greek yogurt if you like, but you may need to adjust the seasoning of the dressing.
- Lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. Red wine vinegar would also work for adding a bit of tang to the dressing.
- Dijon mustard: This rounds out the flavor of the dressing. You could use coarse brown mustard, but do not use yellow mustard.
Optional addition: Nuts – Turn this into a cranberry walnut chicken salad by adding 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts. A cranberry pecan chicken salad is also delicious. Add up to 1/2 cup of toasted crunchy pecans.
How to Make Cranberry Chicken Salad (Step-by-Step)
This is such an easy recipe, making it perfect for throwing together on a Sunday afternoon to eat throughout the week.
Just toss the salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Give the dressing a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed—you can add more lemon juice, pepper, etc.
Add the dressing to the salad ingredients and gently toss everything to combine.
At this point, you can eat the chicken salad right away, but it’ll taste so much better if you let it chill in the fridge first. The dressing will soak into the chicken, the flavors meld, and the cranberries plump up a bit.
I like to let it chill for at least an hour, but longer is better. Try making it the night before you plan to dig in!
Serving Suggestions
Make a wrap – Stuff into a store-bought tortilla wrap or spoon it into lettuce cups and pack for lunch or a picnic.
Serve with crackers – Make some homemade Rosemary Croccantini Flatbread Crackers or Buttermilk Crackers and spoon heaps of this on top.
In a croissant – Of all the breads you can use to make a sandwich with this, I happen to think a croissant is the best. It holds the filling well and has a soft and buttery quality to it that’s perfect here.
In a pita – Another great option that holds the filling well. Add romaine lettuce or whatever other fillings you’d like.
In wonton cups – These are an unexpected but delicious vessel. See how I did it in my Crispy Green Curry Chicken Wonton Bites post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, cranberry chicken salad will keep for up to 5 days. For best flavor and freshness, enjoy within 2-3 days.
The celery and basil don’t freeze well, so it’s not recommended.
Absolutely, and it is better when made ahead, so it’s perfect for meal prep or if you’re prepping ahead for a party. For peak flavor, I recommend making it no more than 1-2 days ahead of time.
Sweetened dried cranberries are the most common and what you’ll typically find with the other dried fruit at the store. If you buy unsweetened dried cranberries, expect a more tart flavor in the salad.
Fresh, uncooked cranberries are very, very tart and are not palatable to most people. For this chicken salad recipe, you need to use dried cranberries, which will give you that sweet and savory combination that makes this salad so irresistible.
Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and comment below — I’d love to hear how it turned out! Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Cranberry Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups diced cooked chicken
- 2/3 cup chopped celery
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion
- 20 fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, celery, red onion, basil, and cranberries.4 cups diced cooked chicken, 2/3 cup chopped celery, 1/3 cup chopped red onion, 20 fresh basil leaves, 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pour the dressing all over the ingredients in the bowl, then toss well to coat.
- Ideally, refrigerate the chicken salad for at least 1 hour before serving, so the flavors can meld and the cranberries can plump up.
Notes
Ingredients
- You can use crockpot chicken breasts, rotisserie chicken, or leftover grilled chicken.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, though the flavor and texture are freshest the first two days.
- Do not freeze.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
More Picnic-Ready Salad Recipes
If you love this cranberry chicken salad as much as I do, you might enjoy some of my other make-ahead salads that are perfect for taking along on a picnic.
Greek zucchini salad is a great way to use summer zucchini and gets added protein from chickpeas. Mediterranean quinoa salad has a similar flavor profile, but makes quinoa the star of the show.
Shrimp avocado salad is surprising and refreshing, while caprese pasta salad combines two classic favorites into one.
And you can never go wrong with a 5-minute white bean salad! Try adding cooked chicken or leftover sliced steak to bulk it up even more.
36 Comments on “Cranberry Chicken Salad”
Love this recipe.
Literally THE best Chicken Salad Recipe!!! My family loves it and begs me to make it. Also is a favorite of my extended family and I’m frequently asked to make large batches of it for family get-togethers, bridal showers, and baby showers.