This creamy Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad has the perfect amount of sweetness, flavour and crunch and is made without mayo! Serve it up on a lettuce wrap, whole-grain crackers, a sandwich or wrap for a filling and satisfying lunch or snack. Such a delicious and healthy chicken salad recipe! {Paleo & gluten-free}
Get ready for the most delicious and creamy cranberry pecan chicken salad! It’s totally crave worthy and you’d never guess that it’s made without mayo.
This healthy chicken salad is filled with pecans, cranberries and apples so each bite is loaded with a pop of sweetness and crunch. It’s perfect to serve on a sandwich, lettuce wrap, salad or on crackers!
Most creamy salads are made with mayo as the base, but for this salad, I wanted to come up with a no mayo option. So my big challenge was creating a mayo-free alternative that still had that same creamy texture and lots of flavour.
Enter this amazing cashew cream sauce. It’s my favourite way to add that creamy base with absolutely no mayo required. Plus, the whole family loves it!
For more healthy chicken salad recipes, be sure to try my Thai Mango Chicken Salad and Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad too!
Why Make this Recipe
- No mayo: If you’re not a big fan of mayo, this recipe will be right up your alley! This creamy chicken salad is completely mayo-free, and I promise, you won’t even miss it!
- Nutritious: Loaded with protein, healthy fats from the nuts, and fibre, vitamins and minerals from the apple and cranberries, this salad is a nutrient-dense option that will keep you feeling satisfied for hours.
- Quick and easy: If you make a batch of the cashew cream sauce ahead of time and have some left over chicken to use up in the fridge, all you have to do is mix everything together and serve!
Ingredient Notes
For the salad
- Diced chicken breast: This is a great recipe if you have leftover rotisserie or roasted chicken. Alternatively, you can quickly cook up a couple of chicken breasts pretty effortlessly. Be sure to check the methods below for instructions on how to cook the chicken breasts.
- Dried cranberries: Dried cranberries add a nice pop of sweet and tart flavour to every bite. Look for the ones that are naturally sweetened with apple juice if possible to limit added sugar.
- Apple: I used Gala but you can use whatever type of apple you have on hand. Granny smith would also work well.
- Chopped pecans: Pecans add a great crunchy texture to the chicken salad. You can use other nuts like walnuts or macadamia too.
- Diced green onion: For a burst of freshness and colour. Finely diced red onion or chives would work great as well.
For the cashew cream
- Cashews, water, garlic and salt: I used roasted unsalted cashews but you could also use raw as well. The cashews need to be soaked for two hours before blending, so be sure to allow some time for that.
Step by Step Instructions
How to Make the Chicken Salad
Add the chicken, dried cranberries, apple, pecans, and green onion to a medium-sized bowl.
Add the creamy sauce and toss mixture until everything is coated in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place in the fridge for later or serve immediately.
How to Make the Cashew Cream Sauce
The trick to getting cashews to blend up into a creamy sauce is to soak them in water for at least 2 hours. Simply pour the cashews in a bowl and cover with water.
Once soaked, toss the cashews, garlic, water and salt into a blender.
I like to use our ninja blender to make these types of sauces since it makes it really smooth and creamy without any chunks. Blend until smooth. Add more water if you want a thinner sauce.
Recipe Tips
- This chicken salad tastes better when it’s had a chance to sit in the fridge for a little while. I recommend letting it sit for about a half an hour in the fridge to absorb the flavours and moisture from the cashew cream sauce and allow the cranberries to puff up.
- Adjust the amount of water used for the cashew cream according to personal taste. Start with half a cup of water blended with the cashews and add a bit more if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- To make this recipe super easy, prepare the chicken and cashew cream sauce in advance so that all you have to do is assemble.
- I cut the chicken breasts into small chunks, but you could also shred them if preferred.
- If you’re really short on time and don’t have time to soak the cashews for 2 hours, you can also boil them for 20 minutes to soften before blending.
How to cook chicken for chicken salad
There are a few different ways you can cook up the chicken for the chicken salad:
- Slow cooker: My favourite method to produce nice and juicy chicken breasts is to cook them in the slow-cooker. Simply take about one pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts and distribute them evenly in the bottom of your slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. You don’t need to add any liquid as long as the chicken breasts are cooked in a single layer. Generally, cooking the chicken for three hours on low is a good amount of time to reach the proper internal temperature of 165 degrees F. This time may vary slightly depending on the brand of slow cooker that you use.
- Oven method: If you prefer another method, you can also bake the chicken at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken breasts are. Simply, place them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with a bit of oil, salt and pepper and bake until no longer pink.
- Poaching method: This method produces really succulent chicken breasts. Place them into a pan and cover them completely with water or stock. Add some aromatics if you like, like peppercorns or a bay leaf. Bring the pot to a boil, then immediately turn the heat down so that the water is at a barely a simmer. Cover the pot. It will take around 10 to 14 minutes to cook through.
- Rotisserie chicken: Alternatively, if you’re looking for the easiest method, you could use a pre-made rotisserie chicken chopped up.
Whatever method you choose, you’ll need two cups of diced chicken for this salad. Cooked chicken will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days, so make a batch at the start of the week and you can prep this salad in minutes.
How to store
Store this chicken salad for up to two to three days in the fridge covered tightly or in an air-tight container.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make the chicken salad ahead of time?
Yes, but it generally tastes best when freshly prepared. If you don’t plan to serve it for a for a few hours, assemble the chicken salad ingredients and creamy dressing separately and combine about an hour before serving.
Can I freeze chicken salad?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe as it might have a funny texture once thawed.
Although some chicken salads might be appropriate to freeze, this one is generally best when eaten fresh.
Can I eat chicken salad cold?
Yes, chicken salad can definitely be eaten cold right from the fridge. As long as the chicken was cooked properly to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and and then was immediately refrigerated, and has not stood at room temperature either before cooking or after cooking, then it is perfectly safe to eat.
It tastes quite refreshing when consumed cold, but you can also eat it warm as well.
Serving suggestions
The beauty of this cranberry pecan chicken salad is that it can be served up in so many different ways. It can be eaten warm or cold which makes it even more versatile!
Better yet, the ingredients taste great with so many different options. After all, can you really go wrong with chicken salad with cranberries, apples and pecans?
Serve it up on:
- Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves
- Whole-grain bread as a sandwich
- Whole-grain tortilla as a wrap
- On a bed of lettuce or spinach
- Topped on crackers
- Served on one of these low carb bagels
More protein-packed lunch recipes:
- Turkey Wrap with Grapes and Pecans
- Tuna Avocado Salad
- Mayo-Free Tuna Lettuce Wraps
- Avocado Egg Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken
- Healthy Pasta Salad
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Healthy Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad {No-Mayo}
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely diced chicken breast (about 2 large cooked chicken breasts)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 small apple diced finely
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the creamy sauce:
- 1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashews
- 1/2 cup water or more for a thinner consistency
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Allow cashews to soak in water for at least 2 hours. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a powerful blender.
- Mix together the chicken, dried cranberries, apple, pecans, and green onion in a medium bowl.
- Add the creamy sauce and toss mixture until everything is coated in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place in the fridge for later or serve immediately.
Notes
- This chicken salad tastes better when it's had a chance to sit in the fridge for a little while. I recommend letting it sit for about a half an hour in the fridge to absorb the flavours and moisture from the cashew cream sauce and allow the cranberries to puff up.
- Adjust the amount of water used for the cashew cream according to personal taste. Start with half a cup of water blended with the cashews and add a bit more if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- To make this recipe super easy, prepare the chicken and cashew cream sauce in advance so that all you have to do is assemble.
- I cut the chicken breasts into small chunks, but you could also shred them if preferred.
- If you're really short on time and don't have time to soak the cashews for 2 hours, you can also boil them for 20 minutes to soften before blending.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in September 2019 and was updated in May 2021 to include better tips and photos.
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How long does the cashew cream sauce keep in the fridge? I don’t have time to soak cashews for that long most of the time, but would love to use it every time I need a mayo substitute on a whim.
It should last in the fridge for up to 10 days. You can also freeze it in an ice cube tray and just pop out the desired amount of cubes that you need and allow it to thaw to use as a mayo replacement. Hope that helps!
Made this and ate it on organic back to nature pepper crackers. <3
Ooh that sounds deliciious! This salad would taste so good paired with some crunchy crackers! Thanks for the idea! :)