Cranberry Chicken Salad
This cranberry pecan chicken salad with a lemon mustard dressing is a delicious gluten-free salad that can be served multiple ways. An easy weeknight dinner, lunch or even appetizer at your next book club, pair with a gluten-free tortilla or gluten-free cracker for some crunch!
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Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken - shredded (approximately 2 chicken breasts, cooked)
- ½ cup pecans - roughly chopped (2 oz, 60g)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries - 2 oz, 60g
- ¼ cup celery - diced (2.5 oz, 70g)
- ¼ cup green onion - sliced (13g)
- ½ cup mayonnaise - 130g
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard - 10g
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
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Instructions
- Add the shredded chicken, pecans, dried cranberries, celery, and green onion to a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt and ground black pepper until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. Mix together with a rubber spatula or large spoon until well combined. Add additional mayonnaise if needed to get the correct consistency. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavors meld together before serving.
Notes
- Use leftover chicken: You can use leftover chicken breast or rotisserie chicken to make this recipe easy for weeknight dinners.
- How to poach chicken: You can also poach the chicken breast if you want to make the chicken from start to finish yourself. To poach the chicken, place 4 cups of cold water and 2 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs) in a large saucepan, ensuring the chicken breasts are fully submerged by an inch. If not, add more water. Add 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to the saucepan. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, flip the chicken over and cover the saucepan with a lid. Remove it from the heat for 20 minutes, until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165F.
- Gluten-free: If you have celiac disease, like me, or are on a gluten-free diet for any reason, be sure to use ingredients that are gluten-free. If you are using rotisserie chicken in this recipe, make sure it’s gluten-free.
Nutrition
Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 108IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
