Cranberry Chicken Salad

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The holiday season was a bit of a whirlwind this year, but definitely an eventful one.  Our little one is at a fun age this year, more aware of things and excited about the season.  It was wonderful seeing the Christmas season through her eyes.  We got the chance to check out some beautiful holiday light displays at Lumaze and D’Lights at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens.  I must say I am glad to have things back to normal, though, and am looking forward to getting back into a routine again.

I’ve been sitting on this salad recipe for awhile now and am glad to finally be sharing it!  Whenever you have leftover cranberry sauce, this a great way to use it.  I know we could all use something a little less rich after all the holiday feasting so I’m glad to have this recipe in my back-pocket for lunches.

So let’s get to it!

This salad is nice and easy and honestly the hardest part is just chopping things up.  You’ll start by making the dressing.  In a small bowl or jar, add the cranberry sauce, olive oil, champagne vinegar, mustard and salt. 

Whisk (or shake if in a jar) until completely combined. Now set that aside while you assemble the salad. 

To assemble the salad, put the salad greens in a medium bowl.  Next you’ll top with the remaining ingredients. 

This recipe makes 2 large or 4 medium salads.  If you’re not going to serve it all at once and plan on packing it up for lunches, I would suggest portioning it out at this point and packing the dressing separately.  If you plan on serving it all, pour the dressing over and toss it all together.  

That’s pretty much it.  I’ve always enjoyed a salad with some sweetness, so I like that this one has the dried cranberries and slightly sweet dressing.  I also enjoy all the crunchy texture from the walnuts and celery and the saltiness the parmesan adds.

Enjoy!