• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Real Food Real Deals
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
Real Food Real Deals

Real Food Real Deals

Healthy food on a budget

  • Recipe Index
  • Saving Money
  • Travel
  • Video Services
    • Recipe Video Equipment
  • Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
  • Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
  • This cranberry squash quinoa salad is a delicious Thanksgiving side dish.
    Cranberry Squash Quinoa Salad
  • Curry Chicken Salad Recipe
  • Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

December 17, 2019 Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Main Dish Recipes, Recipes, Side Dish

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

282shares
  • Share80
  • Tweet
  • Pin202
Jump to Recipe Print

This cranberry walnut chicken salad is an irresistible combination of savory and sweet flavors. It features tender chicken, dried cranberries, walnuts, and celery in a creamy dressing.

Chicken salad is one of the easiest comfort food meals you can make. It’s delicious for lunch or dinner, and it’s a popular dish when you’re feeding a crowd.

This cranberry walnut chicken salad is such a flavorful make-ahead meal. It’s a sweet and savory dish with lots of crunch and a creamy dressing. The honey and apple cider vinegar give it the best flavor.

Also called Cape Cod chicken salad, this dish highlights dried cranberries. These berries are our state fruit here in Massachusetts, and we enjoy them year-round in their dried form. I like to serve this chicken salad on rolls or lettuce wraps for a light meal.

Try my chicken salad with grapes and almonds for another variation on this delicious recipe.

  • This Cape Cod chicken salad features dried cranberries, walnuts, and celery in a creamy dressing.
  • Cranberry walnut chicken salad in a bowl with dressing

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Tips

You can use leftover cooked chicken for this recipe if you have some on hand. If not, poach chicken breasts in a gentle simmer for about 8 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Alternately, you can cook chicken breasts quickly in the Instant Pot.

Poached chicken makes the best base for chicken salad.

The chicken can be chopped or shredded to make this cranberry walnut chicken salad. I prefer to chop it into bite sized pieces.

It’s best to dress the chicken salad while the chicken is still warm. However, you should let the chicken cool for several minutes before cutting it so you don’t burn your fingers.

Feel free to substitute almonds or pecans for the walnuts if you’d prefer. Cape Cod chicken salad often uses pecans instead of walnuts. The flavor is delicious either way.

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

This cranberry walnut chicken salad is a delicious light meal.
$.81 per serving
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chicken, Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 230kcal
Author: Annemarie Rossi

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs chicken breast
  • 2/3 cup organic mayonnaise
  • 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup walnuts diced
  • 2 stalks of celery diced
  • 2 scallions diced
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place the chicken in a large pot in a single layer. Pour water over the chicken to cover by an inch (about 6 cups). Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low, and let the chicken simmer gently for 8 minutes. Then use a meat thermometer to see if the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. If it hasn’t reached this temperature, keep cooking it on medium low heat and check every minute or so. Once the chicken has reached 165 degrees, carefully remove it from the pot to a cutting board.
  • While the chicken cools a bit, prepare the dressing. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and honey. Set aside.
  • When it’s cool enough to handle, shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
  • In a large bowl, place the chicken, dried cranberries, walnuts, celery, and scallions. Stir to combine, then pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Transfer the chicken salad to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 230kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @realfoodrecipes or tag #realfoodrealdeals!

Cape Cod Chicken Salad Price Breakdown

This recipe costs a total of $9.76 to make, or $.81 per serving. Try this cranberry walnut chicken salad for a delicious meal any time of year.

282shares
  • Share80
  • Tweet
  • Pin202

7 Comments

Subscribe

Send me your newsletter!

Privacy Policy

Copyright

© The recipes, opinions, photos, and other content expressed on this website are those of the author/owner unless otherwise noted. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, including photos, without written permission from the author/owner is strictly prohibited. In cases where permission is granted, full and clear credit must be given to Real Food Real Deals with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Disclosure

The FTC has regulations about what bloggers disclose when recommending or advertising products. This information is outlined in my disclosure policy.
Previous Post: « Vegetarian Cassoulet
Next Post: Mango Chia Pudding »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Rhonda Martin says

    August 6, 2020 at 5:26 pm

    5 stars
    Great salad! I add poppy seed for color and a little zing. You can also add sliced grapes.

    Reply
  2. ChihYu says

    January 3, 2020 at 5:39 pm

    5 stars
    So delicious! Great on bread or a bed of greens!

    Reply
  3. Heather H says

    January 1, 2020 at 4:57 pm

    5 stars
    Fave for sure, so delicious! I love swapping out different nuts tool.

    Reply
  4. Raia Todd says

    December 31, 2019 at 11:47 am

    5 stars
    I love the cranberries in here! Such a tart and tasty addition. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Carol Little R.H. @studiobotanica says

    December 30, 2019 at 7:45 pm

    5 stars
    Classic salad with so many wonderful flavours!!!
    Yes please!!

    Reply
  6. Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says

    December 30, 2019 at 7:43 pm

    5 stars
    I love chicken salad of any sort! This sounds wonderful!

    Reply
  7. Jean Choi says

    December 30, 2019 at 6:30 pm

    5 stars
    Such a delicious and hearty salad! Love the beautiful color from the dried cranberries

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Annemarie Rossi

I’m Annemarie, a regular mom who got tired of feeding my family processed food. Read more. . .

NEVER MISS A POST

Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Search by Category

Never miss a recipe

Subscribe below to receive the email newsletter

  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policy
  • Disclosure Policy