This rotisserie chicken salad made with cranberries and walnuts is one of my favorite go-to summer meals along with grilled maple-chipotle salmon, and Cajun chicken sandwiches with aioli.
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★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
This chicken salad is easy to make and stores well for lunches or an easy healthy dinner. It takes a total of 10 minutes max to make.
It's super versatile.
Spread this Waldorf chicken salad on your favorite type of bread or try it on a croissants to make a sandwich.
It's also great over a salad or simply mixed greens with a little dressing of your choice, or in a wrap. Spinach tortillas are my favorite type of wrap — great for picnics!
This tangy, sweet and nutty chicken salad is known as "Waldorf Chicken Salad" named after the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City according to Wikipedia. Now you know!
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
Just 6 Ingredients!
All you need to whip up this tasty chicken salad is SIX ingredients main ingredients plus salt and pepper to taste.
Here's everything you'll need: Rotisserie chicken, dried cranberries (craisins), walnuts, Dijon mustard, celery and Greek yogurt or mayo. Season with salt and pepper if you'd like.
Feel free to use leftover chicken or canned chicken if you prefer.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
This chicken salad requires zero cooking! Just a little chopping and mixing.
Here's a look at the steps:
- Shred cooked rotisserie chicken.
- Dice up the celery.
- Chop the nuts. Or save time and buy these already chopped.
- Add mayo and Dijon mustard then stir.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve on a sandwich, over a salad, or in a wrap!
★ Tips ★
This chicken salad is great for brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Honestly, this chicken salad is so good, I usually eat it by the spoonful. However, you can eat it many different ways.
Here are some ideas:
- Try it as a lettuce wrap. Just take a large leaf of lettuce, put a spoonful or two of chicken salad in the middle, fold in the side and tuck in the top and bottom. It's a little wrap that's low in carbs but big on crunch.
- Top your greens with this chicken salad. A scoop of this cranberry walnut chicken salad on top of your typical leafy green salad for a punch of protein and flavor.
- Wrap it up with any flavor tortilla wrap.
- Serve this chicken salad as a complete low-carb meal! Start with the chicken salad and serve with a side of steamed or raw broccoli and low-carb bread toasted with a slice of cheese.
- Try it served on a croissant. You can choose a large croissant and make it a meal. Or smaller croissants for more of an appetizer.
The chicken salad sandwiches on croissants makes a great little brunch menu item that's perfect for baby and bridal showers.
★ FAQs ★
Dried cherries or raisins are great substitutions for cranberries if you prefer.
Fresh fruit also works. Green or red grapes, apples or pears cut into cubes all all delicious swaps.
As far as replacing the walnuts, you can use any nuts. Chopped pecans, cashews, almond slivers — you choose!
Try Greek yogurt instead of mayo. Or half mayo, half Greek yogurt.
I got this simple recipe from my hubby's cousin after having it at her house. I normally don't like chicken salad but this was so light and refreshing compared to other chicken salads I've had, that I ended up asking her what was in it.
The secret is using Greek yogurt instead of mayo. The Greek yogurt actually gives the chicken salad added flavor and makes it healthier too. Win-win! The cranberries and walnuts combined also give this chicken salad a nontraditional flavor and added nutrients.
If you want a bit of that nostalgic creamy mayo flavor though, try going half Greek yogurt, half mayo. Or full mayo. Up to you!
★ More Rotisserie Chicken Recipes ★
Try my Curried Chicken Salad!
If you love chicken salad, you have to try Mango Curried Chicken Salad — a twist on more traditional chicken salad recipes made with dried mango, cashews and honey mustard.
Get the recipe for my Curried Chicken Salad here
More Lunch Ideas
Looking for new ideas for lunch? Browse all my lunch recipes
This cranberry walnut chicken salad was featured on South Your Mouth and Hearth and Soul!
Cranberry-Walnut Chicken Salad with Rotisserie Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 whole rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup mayonnaise or plain Greek Yogurt
- ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 12 oz dried cranberries
- 2 ribs celery finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Mighty Mrs. is a #WalmartPartner.
Instructions
- Pick and shred rotisserie chicken.
- Stir in Greek yogurt, dijon mustard, craisins, celery, walnuts and salt & pepper.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
- Fresh fruit can be used in place of died cranberries. Try grapes, pears or apples. Dried raisins or cherries could also be used.
- Feel free to use any nut you prefer in place of walnuts.
Esmé Slabbert says
Super delicious and you can use leftover chicken. This is perfect to not waste any chicken. I usually freeze leftover chicken and now I know what to do with it!
Julie says
Easy and delicous! This will be a permanent staple in my go to recipes!
Angela G. says
Hi Julie, So glad you are enjoying it! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂