I’ve been married for twenty years. In those twenty years my husband has proclaimed his revulsion to chicken salad. That was until I made this Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad.
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I made this chicken salad a few weeks ago and, at his request, have made it numerous times since then. I still haven’t been able to take any for lunch because when I go to pack it, it’s gone. Although the dirty dish is usually in the sink for me to clean.
The other day I walked into my kitchen and my son’s girlfriend was sitting at the table with the glass storage bowl I thought I had carefully hidden in the back of the fridge and a fork. She was pointing at her full cheeks, rolling her eyes back in her head and oh my Godding like crazy. She’s the only one in the house who actually washes her dishes, so I forgave her for eating the last of it and proceeded to tell her I think she should start paying rent.
This is not your run of the mill chicken salad
What’s so special about this chicken salad you ask? It’s not just mushy mayonnaisy, flavorless chicken salad. It has layers of flavor from tarragon, which tastes a bit like anise and curry and tart cranberries take you from savory to sweet in one bite. The thinly sliced almonds give you a nice little crunch you won’t find in plain ol’ chicken salad.
We have decided we like this best on crackers (these are my favorite) but wrapped in lettuce leaves or on a delicious buttery white bread would be delish too.
You could even use leftover Thanksgiving turkey as well. I haven’t tried it, but I bet it would be equally as delicious.
If you can get it to stay in the house, this would make a great lunch meal prep or packed in the kids lunch bags for a bit of a fancy upgrade from ham and cheese or PB&J. It’s super easy to make and keeps well throughout the week. It actually gets better each day because all the flavors meld together.
You’re gonna love it! Trust me!
Cranberry Chicken Almond Salad
A delicious, flavorful savory and sweet chicken salad with layers of flavor for a unique take on run of the mill chicken salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 3/4 c mayonnaise (real mayo, not that light shit)
- 1/3 c sour cream (or Greek style yogurt, yes you can use light on this)
- 1 T finely chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 tsp dried, it's much more potent)
- 2 finely chopped scallions (about 2 Tablespoons)
- 1 T finely chopped celery
- 1/2 c dried cranberries
- 1/2 c slice almonds
- 1/8 tsp curry
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil chicken until done (approx 8-10 minutes), drain and set aside to cool (Prep all the other ingredients while the chicken is cooking)
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl
- Chop or shred chicken (TIP: To shred chicken easily just throw it in the bowl of your stand up mixer and give it a few whirls) Works like a charm!
- Mix everything together and hide it in the fridge so you can eat it later
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