Apple Cranberry Chicken Salad
The first time I made this, I stirred the dressing into chicken that was still warm from the store bag. Within minutes the mayo went thin and greasy. Lesson learned. Now I pull the meat off the bones, spread it out on a plate and give it a good fifteen minutes to cool before anything creamy touches it, and I keep some of the dark meat in there because it stays juicy for days.
I go heavy on the dried cranberries, honestly more than looks reasonable, since they soften a little overnight and turn pleasantly chewy. A crisp apple like Honeycrisp holds its crunch best. I pack it into containers on Sunday and eat it on toasted sourdough or scooped up with crackers at my desk.
This apple cranberry chicken salad is what I make the week rotisserie chickens go on sale. No cooking at all. A pinch of dried sage in the dressing gives it a quiet fall flavor without tasting like Thanksgiving stuffing. It keeps four days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pull the meat off the rotisserie chicken, discarding the skin and bones, and shred or chop it into bite-size pieces, keeping a mix of white and dark meat. Spread it on a plate and let it cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes, so the dressing stays thick.4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper until smooth.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp rubbed dried sage, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Core the apples, leave the skin on and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. Add them to the bowl and toss them in the dressing right away so they don't brown.2 medium crisp apples
- Stir in the celery and red onion until coated.1 cup diced celery, 2 tbsp minced red onion
- Add the cooled chicken and the dried cranberries, then fold gently with a spatula until every piece is coated. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed.1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the flavors settle. Serve on toasted bread, in lettuce cups or with crackers, and store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Notes
For a lighter dressing, swap half the mayonnaise for more Greek yogurt. Want crunch? Stir in 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans right before serving so they stay crisp.
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made this sunday and let the chicken cool first like you said, huge difference. last time my chicken salad got all oily. used granny smith bc thats what i had and the tartness was nice
good base. i added toasted pecans right before eating so they didnt get soft. would go lighter on the salt next time tho, store chicken is already pretty salty
the sage is such a small thing but it really tastes like fall. ate it in lettuce cups all week and it was still good on day 4