Cranberry almond chicken salad
Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad
Let me start by saying I am soooo, soooo fussy about chicken salad sandwiches. I really don’t like anyone else’s but my own. Isn’t that awful? It usually has celery in it, for starters, which I do not enjoy. And it’s often so globby and wet that it just doesn’t appeal to me. I love my tried and true chicken salad recipe though. I use chopped carrots and dill, with chicken and mayo. Simple and really delicious in sandwiches or on a green salad.
Anyway, the fact that I was even remotely interested in trying the chicken salad recipe at My Own Sweet Thyme is surprising, even to me. But it uses ingredients that I always have in the house. Always. I figured it was worth a try, right? I’m so glad I bookmarked this recipe! I liked it, I liked it! There’s barely any mayo in this, but it’s moist enough to hold together without being wet in any way. And the almonds add such a nice crunch and saltiness to it. Yum. It’s definitely a keeper.
Recipe: Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad
1/3 c. dried cranberries
1/3 c. orange juice (I substituted with apple juice because we’re never w/o a carton in the fridge.)
1/3 c. light mayonnaise
1/3 c. sliced almonds (I had roasted almonds in the pantry, so I just threw some in my chopper and diced them up.)
2 c. cooked, shredded chicken breast
Place the dried cranberries in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with juice and microwave for 45-60 seconds, until the cranberries are soft and plump. Let cool while you add the other ingredients in a separate bowl. Add cranberries to chicken mixture, but only add enough of the juice to get the consistency you are looking for. (I didn’t quite use all of the juice.) Salt and pepper to taste. Stir until combined.
One Ordinary Day 
That looks so good! I’m picky about chicken salad too… I don’t really like to eat it unless I’ve made it. I’ve been meaning to make some for the last couple weeks, so I’ll have to give this a try! Need to get some cranberries and almonds first though.
Yum, sounds great! You could kick this up a notch by adding some curry powder and maybe a bit of Dijon mustard, or make it even healthier by using half light mayo, half plain NF yogurt.
Farmer Gal – Hope you try this. I actually ate all of it by myself. (Not all at once though!)
katie – This is healthy enough for me. It’s actually not a huge amt. of mayo for the number of servings you get out of it.
– Shell
I just made this.
I halved the mayo and added a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to it before I added it to the chicken. I also substituted the orange juice with pineapple, and then I added a splash of pineapple juice to the mayo. I used diced roasted almonds with no salt, and I took katie’s suggestion of curry powder, adding two pinches. It is absolutely fragrant and harmonizes the flavours.