Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

This chicken salad has been on repeat in our home for the last few days. It's so fresh and satisfying with the crunchy celery and nuttiness from the walnuts, plus there's a touch of sweetness from the dried berries that is perfectly balanced with a bit of savory goodness from the chicken and garlic. Yum!

I made this recipe for the retreat ladies this past January and EVERYONE loved it! Our group chat is still alive and well, even a few months later, and when I made this recipe the other day I sent a picture to them because I was missing everyone. Immediately they were asking for the recipe. While I did send it to them in the group chat, I figured it'd probably be the nice thing to share it here with all of you too.

Honestly, it's simple and delish. I keep it on hand in the fridge for about 3 days (we eat it pretty quickly), and its the perfect protein packed snack or lunch. I love to serve it on a croissant for a fancy feeling sandwich, but I also love eating with crackers as a snack.

When it comes to the ingredients, you can use any cooked chicken you like, but be careful with chicken that is already dried out. If it's already too dry, your chicken salad will get pasty (not good). My secret, and I can't believe I'm revealing this, is using canned chicken - gasp! I know, it might sound weird, but here are some good quality canned chicken products out there and they're juicy and tender. If I don't use canned chicken, I use fresh rotisserie chicken (not one that has been in the fridge for a few days), as they tend to be more moist. OK enough gabbing, on to the recipe!!

Ingredients

• 1.5lbs pulled rotisserie or canned chicken

• 1 cup Mayo (I use this avocado mayo)

• 1 cup chopped celery (I like mine small)

• 1/2 cup diced red onion

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

• 1/4 cup dried berries (can be cranberries, blueberries, or whatever you like)

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tbsp dried or fresh parsley

• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Mix it all together and enjoy!

2. Be sure to store it in the fridge, covered, for no more than 5 days.

I love serving this chicken salad on a fresh croissant with Havarti cheese and a pinch of mixed greens. I also love it with crackers or fresh bell peppers for a snack too!