Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad for a Crowd
I made a batch of this Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad for a recent bridal shower. Piled on mini croissants with a lettuce leaf, it was the perfect luncheon entree.
This is the Best Chicken Salad Recipe with a creamy dressing enhanced with sour cream, plus chewy Craisins, and crunchy pecans. Absolutely irresistible!
The Best Chicken Salad Recipe
I took my Fruity Chicken Salad and gave it a simple facelift, swapping out dried cherries for Craisins and grapes for chopped apples. I purchased some mini croissants for a dainty sandwich and added these to our luncheon buffet. Seeing Chelsea’s Messy Apron’s recipe for Sriracha Tuna Salad Wraps reminded me that old classics can be jazzed up and be even better than the original!
How to Make the Best Chicken Salad
I grew up eating tuna salad sandwiches made simply with canned tuna, mayo, and diced celery. It was only decades later that I found that cutting the mayonnaise with some sour cream kicked my tuna up a couple of notches.
Plus I started adding capers, pickles, a little lemon juice, and even fresh dill. Next came chicken salad, which also benefited from some sour cream.
Dried fruits, nuts, and diced Granny Smith apples provided some crunch, sweetness, and depth of flavor. No matter what you choose to add, I think you’ll become an instant fan of this chicken salad sandwich recipe!
Tip of the Day: Utilize your slow cooker and make Crockpot Chicken Breasts, a hands-off method of cooking the chicken for this recipe.
More Sandwich Recipes You’ll Love:
- Cuban Sandwiches (Cubanos) from The Food Charlatan
- Reuben Sandwich Sliders from Spend with Pennies
- Tuna Cranberry Pecan Salad Sandwich
- Pressed Brick Sandwich
- Cuban Sandwich
- Plus, if you’re adventurous, try your hand with this recipe for Homemade Croissants!
- More of the Best Entree Recipes
Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad for a Crowd
The best chicken salad recipe for entertaining.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2-3 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup diced celery
- 3/4 cup chopped apple (I used Granny Smith)
- 1 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
- 3/4 cups chopped pecans (toast first for the best flavor)
- 3- 3 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked, cooled and chopped
Instructions
- Whisk together, the mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, pepper and lemon juice (use the smaller amount of salt and lemon juice to start).
- Stir in chicken, celery, apples, and Craisins. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and lemon juice if needed. Refrigerate for at least an hour to let the flavors meld.
- Serve as a salad over a crisp lettuce leaf or as a sandwich on a bun or croissant.
Notes
Servings depend on the size of your rolls or croissants and what else is being served at your brunch, picnic or luncheon.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 396Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 611mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 32g
20 Comments on “Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad for a Crowd”
I love everything about this chicken salad! The creamy sauce and crunchy apples and pecans and the sweetness of the dried cranberries, SO GOOD!
So easy to make! We love to make this for lunch! It’s a favorite!
This is such a delicious lunch!! My family really loved it!
I made this for church, and got so much positive feed back on it. It was delicious!
Oh, you made my day, Elisabeth! I’m so glad it was a hit 🙂
This chicken salad looks amazing, love the addition of pecans and cranberries!
My picky family would turn their noses up at the nuts and fruits. No worries though I will gladly take their portions!
Coming to your blog makes me hungry!! 🙂
This is a great chicken salad sandwich! I make it for lunch for us, but have never thought of serving it to a crowd. Great idea and such a nice presentation!
How many cups of rotisserie chicken would be the equivalent in this recipe?
Hi, Lorrie,
My quick calculations puts the measurement at about 8 cups of shredded/cubed rotisserie chicken. I think you’d be safe with 3 rotisserie chickens. Hope that helps!
3/4 lb of chicken yields about 2 cups of cooked, chopped meat / 1 1/2 lb = 4 cups / 3 pounds = 8 cups and you should get up to 3 cups from a 2 lb chicken.
Thanks so much for the prompt reply! I have so recipes on my Pinterest boards from you – keep the great ideas coming!
This looks like a lunch I could eat all week, and totally will. Love a good chunky chicken salad, especially on a nice croissant!
I love chicken salad and serving it on a croissant is a must! This looks wonderful!
This chicken salad looks like a way better version than the one I grew up eating! I love that you served it on mini croissants. How delightful!
Chicken salad is one of my favorites! Love this simple recipe – it always seems so perfect for a luncheon or party!
The sour cream tip is good one. Heck this whole recipe is good — who doesn’t like chicken salad? And you’ve added a ton of flavor to yours. Thanks!
I love your trick of blending in some sour cream – I bet that does send this beautiful salad over the top. Yummy!
apples and craisins? WOW now that one heck of a great chicken salad. I have a ton of leftover from the 4th chicken breast I bet it will be an awesome addition to the grilled flavor! thanks Liz!
Who wouldn’t love a croissant sandwich! This looks droolworthy, Liz.