Light Chicken Cranberry Salad
This Light Chicken Cranberry Salad is creamy, crunchy, and protein-packed! It's perfect for busy days, lunches, or even your holiday table.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast shredded or finely diced (I used store-bought grilled chicken)
- 1/4 small red onion finely diced
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- Optional: 2 tbsp chopped pecans for extra crunch
For the light creamy dressing:
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Easy Swaps:
- Chicken: Use leftover roasted chicken, rotisserie chicken. Leftover turkey is another delicious option, especially after Thanksgiving!
- Dried cranberries: Try dried cherries, raisins, diced fresh apples, or halved red grapes for natural sweetness.
- Red onion: Swap for finely diced celery if you prefer a milder flavor and extra crunch. You can also use both!
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, red onion or celery, dried cranberries, and green onions. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, light mayonnaise, honey, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the dressing over the chicken salad and toss to coat evenly. Add the chopped pecans if using.
- Refrigerate for 20–30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
- Spoon into sandwiches, wraps, lettuce cups, or over your favorite greens.
Notes
How do you store chicken cranberry salad?
This is one of my favorite kinds of recipes to prepare ahead of a busy week. It takes just 10 minutes to put together, and the flavors get even better after chilling.
Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days, provided the cooked chicken is still within its safe storage window.
Keep it cold: Since this salad contains chicken and dairy, refrigerate promptly and keep it chilled when traveling.
Pack separately: If making sandwiches or wraps ahead of time, store the filling separately to prevent soggy bread.
Add crunch later: For the best texture, add nuts right before serving.
Avoid freezing: The creamy yogurt-based dressing can separate after thawing.
Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days, provided the cooked chicken is still within its safe storage window.
Keep it cold: Since this salad contains chicken and dairy, refrigerate promptly and keep it chilled when traveling.
Pack separately: If making sandwiches or wraps ahead of time, store the filling separately to prevent soggy bread.
Add crunch later: For the best texture, add nuts right before serving.
Avoid freezing: The creamy yogurt-based dressing can separate after thawing.