Hey, Peeps! I go months and months not even giving a thought to chicken salad and then August hits and I can’t get enough! How about you? If you’re the same, you’re going to love this Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad.
Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad
Over the years I’ve “collected” many chicken salad recipes and each is a new fave for a while. This one I’ve come back to over and over. It is SO good!
About Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad:
I saw a carton of this at my grocery deli. I couldn’t resist. I had to see if it was as good as I remembered. Frankly, it didn’t compare to mine. Plus, it cost a small fortune, there wasn’t enough, and can you say additives!
Besides, homemade is just so much fresher. Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad does strike me as being a little retro. The first time I made it, the idea of “ladies’ luncheon” popped into my mind. It’s anything but.
The chicken salad has almonds, they’re so tasty and good for you, too. Then there’s dried cranberries that give the chicken salad a little heft and add some chewiness. And we can’t forget the green onion and celery for some crunch.
The chicken salad is tossed with a dressing made from a handful of ingredients. Ya gotta love it for being simple. The vibe is a little sweet/tangy from a drizzle of honey (or some sugar) and vinegar.
Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad
Serving:
Serve your Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad in wraps, on sandwich bread, brioche bun, or a croissant. Maybe you’d like it on crackers, cucumber slices, stuffed in a tomato, or as served in a dollop over a salad.
Making the Chicken Salad:
There’s one important thing that will always make any chicken salad stand out, and that’s the chicken. It doesn’t matter if it’s the cheapest grocery store sale-priced chicken or some high-end organic chicken. It’s the method of cooking that makes it juicy and ever so tasty.
If you like using rotisserie chicken because it’s convenient and flavorful, poaching your chicken breasts or thighs is more work but is just as good. Add the chicken to water with salt, peppercorns, and maybe a bay leaf. Bring it to a slow simmer. Cool in the cooking liquid before removing and shredding it.
It will make all the difference in how tender and moist it is…I want to say succulent but I don’t want to be too la-di-da! If I’m not careful here, I’ll be pulling out my Mom’s old apron and traipsing around the kitchen in high heels while cooking my retro chicken salad.
If you don’t have the time or the energy to poach chicken, I get it – it won’t be the end of the world but make the effort and you’ll see what I mean. I didn’t mention leftover chicken yet…it’s always an option. Why not make extra chicken earlier in the week so you’ll have chicken on hand?
Finely dice the celery by slicing it into long strips lengthwise, then across. The green onions can be sliced in half, lined up, then across. The dressing can be mixed right in the bowl and then everything else tossed in or mixed up and poured over.
Storing:
- Work cleanly and this will store well for three to four days. After day one, any chicken salad with mayo can get a little watery. Just mix it back together. If it’s dry, add more mayo.
- If you’re taking this to a party make the day before and store the chicken and dressing separately. Mix together at least an hour ahead.
- Don’t freeze. The end result when thawed is not attractive.
Rotisserie-Style Chicken (No Rotisserie Needed)
Saving Money on Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad:
Here’s how to bring Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad to the table on a budget.
Chicken:
- The biggest purchase is the chicken. In order of pricing, on sale boneless, skinless thighs are cheapest option, boneless, skinless breast, next.
- At the grocery, chicken drops to a low about once a quarter. Take advantage, stock up, and freeze in portions your family will use.
- Making use of leftovers (especially if the ingredients were on sale) is a wonderful strategy.
Comparing Costco Rotisserie Chicken:
I always hear Costco Rotisserie Chicken is cheaper than roasting your own. It’s a great example of the “oft-repeated lie.” You’ll pay about $5.21 with tax, $1.74 per pound for the 3-pound chicken. Other places sell smaller chickens for more money.
Another oft-repeated lie is that they are loss leaders; Costco denies it. You always pay for convenience. People need to stop saying “it’s cheaper” and learn shopping and math skills.
This week Costco Rotisserie is over twice that of an on-sale whole chicken from Lidl which which is $2.24. You’ll need a few additional pennies to season and roast. Now three bucks might not matter to most, but if you’re on a tight budget, every bit helps.
- My grocery’s regular price for whole chicken is $1.49 a pound, only pennies less than Costco but they go on sale regularly.
- Discount groceries like Lidl or Aldi have great pricing on whole chicken and sales, too. This week Lidl’s young chickens are $.99 per pound; regular price is $1.49.
- While a sales-priced chicken of the same size can be done at home for less, the better flex is buying a larger one. That maximizes the sale price and gives you a larger proportion of meat to bone.
Lidl ad 8/17/2024
Other Items: Pick up basic items at discount stores like Aldi and Lidl. If not an option, it pays to know when to buy groceries.
Watch sales and stock up with enough sales-priced items so you’ll never pay full price. The best sales are before holidays. To see what might be on sale before any given holiday, check out my post Win at the Grocer. Scroll to the bottom for clickable links for each major food holiday.
- Buy nuts and dried fruit before the winter holidays, starting before Thanksgiving. There will be sales before Easter, too.
- Spices are usually at a low in the spring and McCormick has great sales then.
- Basic vinegar is at a low before Easter and better ones sporadically through the summer.
Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad
cranberry almond chicken salad
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Salad Main Dish
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- About 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cooked and shredded (about 4 cups shredded) *
- 2 celery ribs, very finely diced
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds
- a heaping 1/2 cup mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, or a mixture
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Honey or sugar, to taste, about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons or more
Chicken breasts and thighs vary in size; don’t stress it but get in the ballpark. See how to poach chicken in the instructions, below.
Instructions
Add shredded chicken, celery, green onion, cranberries, and almonds to a large bowl and toss together. In another bowl, mix the dressing ingredients: the mayonnaise and/or Greek yogurt, vinegar, onion powder, salt, pepper, and honey or sugar if using. Taste and adjust seasoning. It should be a tart/sweet mixture and a little intense is fine. It’s going to season all that chicken mixture.
Pour the dressing over the chicken. Toss to combine and evenly coat. For best flavor, make an hour ahead and refrigerate. The salad should be a little “fluffy” but coated, not wet.
Be aware that some nuts may become soggy; slivered almonds seem to hold up better than sliced. Any mixture with mayonnaise can weep a little when stored; just stir it back together. If the salad seems a little dry after storing, add a touch more mayo.
Serve over greens or in wraps it sandwiches.
For the Chicken:
To cook chicken, poach in water seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon salt, several black peppercorns, and a bay leaf. (The peppercorns and bay leaf are optional, but peppercorns are highly recommended.)
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