This easy Cranberry Chicken Salad with almonds is graced with a tangy, lightly sweet poppy seed dressing. Layer it on slider rolls or croissants with lettuce for a delicious, light meal.
This newest addition to my chicken salad family has been waiting to make an appearance here for years and I’m so happy that today is the day. Friends, this lovely Cranberry Chicken Salad is wonderful!
I can picture these little sandwiches on an Easter buffet table mixed in with all the other offerings. They also make for a super delicious lunch or light dinner any time of year.
Any recipe involving poppy seeds seems so spring-like and perfect for serving on Easter. Recipes like my Lemon Almond Poppy Seed Muffins, Fruit Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing, and Lemon Coconut Poppy Seed Cake have spring written all over them!
Ingredient Notes
- For the chicken salad: You can’t beat the price and ease of store-bought rotisserie chicken when making chicken salad. You’ll also need finely diced red onion, diced celery, dried cranberries (like Craisins), and slivered almonds.
- Poppy seed dressing: The creamy base for this light and lovely dressing consists of mayonnaise (I use olive oil mayo), nonfat plain Greek yogurt, and milk. It’s lightly sweetneed with granulated sugar and apple cider vinegar adds tanginess. Poppy seeds, dry mustard, onion powder, galric, powder, salt and freshly ground black pepper finish it off.
How to Make Cranberry Chicken Salad
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the chicken salad ingredients to the bowl with the dressing and toss until the dressing is thoroughly incorporated.
This salad is delicious immediately upon mixing or cover and refrigerate it until ready to serve. It will stay fresh and tasty for 3 to 4 days if refrigerated in an airtight container.
Serving Suggestions
Sandwiches or Wraps: It is absolutely delicious served on little potato buns but I also love it on lightly toasted sliced sourdough or a flaky croissant layered with green leaf lettuce or spring greens. Or, roll it up in a tortilla or wrap with lettuce and thinly sliced tomatoes.
On a Bed of Greens: Serve the chicken salad over a bed of fresh mixed greens for a light and healthy meal.
With Crackers or Crostini: Serve the chicken salad alongside a selection of crackers or toasted baguette slices for an easy party appetizer.
More Chicken Salad Recipes You’ll Love
- Crunchy Sweet Chicken Salad
- Curry Chicken Salad
- Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches
- Classic Chicken Salad
- Napa Almond Chicken Salad (Panera Copycat)
- Long Grain and Wild Rice Chicken Salad
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Cranberry Chicken Salad
Video
Ingredients
For the Poppy Seed Dressing:
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, (choose a healthy fat mayo like olive oil mayonnaise)
- ¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Chicken Salad
- 2 ½ cups cooked chopped chicken breast, (I used a rotisserie chicken)
- ⅓ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds
Instructions
- Combine all the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add chicken salad ingredients and toss until the dressing is thoroughly incorporated.
- Serve on slider rolls, croissants, wraps, or lightly toasted bread with lettuce leaves.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Something does not seem quite right with the nutrition numbers. Not seeing how this can only be 2 grams of protein. Could you please check that and let me know. I’m counting macros and that just didn’t seem right in comparison to other recipes. By the way I like the recipe.
Thanks for the catch, Becky. The nutrition information has been recalculated and is reflected on the recipe card.
Love this recipe…my new favorite chicken salad
My wife whipped us up a batch of this, it’s excellent!
Light, creamy, tangy, poppy seeds and almonds give it a nice crunch.
You’re really making a believer out of me on the yogurt/mayo dressing thang.
Awesome recipe.
Thanks, Valerie!
Hey there, Roadlord! So glad you liked it. Greek yogurt has been a kitchen staple for me for quite some time now. There are SO many things you can do with it. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂