Cranberry Chicken Salad
by Sommer Collier — on Mar 17, 2025 
Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Recipe – Homemade chicken salad with cranberries includes leftover chicken, crunchy nuts, and fresh dill. It makes the best creamy chicken salad sandwiches, wraps, green salads, and is a delicious potluck dish to share!
Why We Love This Cranberry Chicken Salad Recipe
To me, creamy and chunky chicken salads have always felt like the perfect balance of refined but rustic… I love how you’re equally likely to find some version of chicken salad both on a country club brunch or tea room menu, and at a casual picnic or backyard barbecue.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
We have a slightly more elaborate southern chicken salad recipe on the site, made with diced apples, almonds, and a few other secret ingredients. Then there is our fabulous leftover turkey salad recipe that includes fresh chopped celery and grapes. However, today’s Cranberry Chicken Walnut Salad recipe is a fun and simple variation using dried cranberries, walnuts, fresh dill, and fresh orange zest to create depth and intrigue!
These simple fresh additions in our cranberry walnut chicken salad add an incredible perky flavor and crunch. Indeed, this homemade recipe is even more delicious than your favorite Panera chicken salad! It’s an irresistible chicken salad to serve at lunch as chicken salad sandwiches, or to bring as a potluck dish to share.
Ingredients You Need
- Cooked chicken – chopped (see note below)
- Scallions – green onions, both green and white ends chopped
- Celery – sliced
- Dried cranberries – obviously a must-have for cranberry chicken salad
- Walnuts – or pecans chopped
- Fresh dill – chopped
- Orange – zested
- Mayonnaise – or Miracle Whip, if you prefer
- Salt and pepper – to taste
Pro Tip: When starting a recipe calling for cooked chicken, you can use cooked leftover chicken of any variety, buy a rotisserie chicken, or you can grill or bake chicken breasts to chop and use in this recipe.
How to Make Cranberry Chicken Salad
Find the full Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Recipe with video tutorial, detailed instructions, and tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Serving Suggestions
Serve cranberry chicken salad on bread, fluffy croissants, or in tortillas for chicken salad sandwiches and chicken wraps. I like to include some fresh lettuce on my sandwiches as well for extra flavor and texture – and it helps to keep the bread from getting soggy.
Add a scoop of chicken salad over your favorite fresh greens or into a lettuce wrap for a lower carb lunch salad!
It’s also a delicious sweet, savory, and protein-rich snack by the spoonful, or with crunchy crackers or potato chips. But again, if you are trying to keep things low carb and/or gluten-free, I highly recommend trying our easy low carb cauliflower crackers and keto almond flour crackers recipes.
And cranberry walnut chicken salad is perfect for serving with other hearty Southern salads like pasta salad, broccoli cauliflower salad, and bean salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but it will not have the same flavor. While there are many great uses for canned chicken, it doesn’t do too well as a replacement in fresh salads like this copycat Panera cranberry walnut chicken salad recipe.
It’s easy to poach chicken breasts to make chicken salad! Cut two large chicken breasts into large chunks that are about 2-3 inches square. Meanwhile, start to bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the chicken to the water after it gets hot but before it’s at a full boil. Once it boils, quickly cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat off.
Let the chicken cook for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how big the pieces are. Check them for doneness, then either replace the lid and keep cooking a few more minutes, or remove the pieces and transfer them to a cutting board to cool.
Another option would be to cook chicken in an Instant Pot and then either shred or chop to use. This method takes less than an hour and is nearly entirely hands-off!
This recipe is great for your weekly meal prep! Store the chicken salad in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days if using day-old leftover chicken.
Looking for More Easy Salad Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Nana’s Epic Tuna Salad
- Shrimp Salad Rolls
- Best Ham Salad
- Crab Salad Recipe
- Mexican Chicken Salad
- Ambrosia Salad
- Cool and Creamy Grape Salad
- Big Mac Salad
Cranberry Chicken Salad (with Walnuts)
Video
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 cup chopped scallions green and white ends
- ¾ cup sliced celery
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 ¼ cup mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set a large mixing bowl. Combine the chopped chicken, chopped scallions, sliced celery, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts or pecans, fresh chopped dill, and orange zest. Mix the ingredients to make sure the dill and orange zest is evenly distributed, not clumped together.
- Then mix in the mayonnaise. Mix well to coat all ingredients. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
- Cover the chicken salad and chill until ready to serve.
Wow! This is hands down the best chicken salad I’ve ever made. The mix of textures and flavors is just perfect, and the dressing is so creamy and flavorful! My whole family loved it!
I love how quick and easy this recipe is! The flavors are perfectly balanced, and the hint of sweetness from the cranberries makes it extra delicious.
This cranberry chicken salad is absolutely amazing! I made it for lunch, and it was a huge hit – definitely adding this to my regular meal prep!