Festive Cranberry Salad with Chicken and Pecans is a beautifully simple fresh green salad to toss together for a light lunch. The tartness of dried cranberries balances the sweetness of poppy seed dressing and the crunch of candied pecans with some nice, moist cooked chicken.
What to Do with Leftover Cooked Turkey
Leftover, cooked turkey will work just fine here, too. This salad will be ideal to make on the day after a Holiday meal when you want a break from cooking, have leftover turkey, and have not yet had your fill of cranberries. It’s best if your poultry has been perfectly cooked so that it’s done without being dried out. Read this post on Flavourful, Crispy-skinned, Moist Roast Chicken or Turkey to learn how.
Cranberry Salad with Chicken is easy to whip up with some leftover cooked chicken or turkey.
Don’t wait for the Holidays to make this salad, though! I enjoy it all year round. Sliced, freshly cooked chicken breast is delicious on it! I fry mine gently in a little coconut or avocado oil in my cast iron frying pan. Try to cook your meat just until it’s done but still moist. Use a sharp knife for clean slices.
Grill a fresh chicken breast for your salad, or slice some leftovers from your turkey dinner.
Cranberry Salad with Chicken
This salad recipe is for two servings. Feel free to half, double, or triple it according to your needs. The Candied Pecan instructions make a large enough batch for several salads.
Naturally, you can adjust the quantities to suit your preferences. The amounts given in the recipe are the amounts used to calculate the nutritional information.
Whether a light end-of-summer lunch or an after-the-turkey treat, Cranberry Salad with Chicken and Candied Pecans is sure to be a favourite.
Click here for the recipe for the Poppy Seed Salad Dressing that I love to use.
Cranberry Salad with Chicken and Candied Pecans
Ingredients
Candied Pecans
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Salad
- 6 cups spring greens loosely packed
- 8 ounces cooked chicken or turkey (2 small or 1 large chicken breast), sliced
- 4 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons candied pecans
- 4 tablespoons Poppy Seed Salad Dressing
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stir pecans, maple syrup, and salt together. Spread the mixture out onto the parchment-lined pan.
Bake for about 8 minutes, watching them closely so they don't burn.
Allow to cool on pan.