Roasted Cranberry Chicken Salad

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Ohh heyy there — let me introduce you to my new best friend: Roasted Cranberry Chicken Salad.  And you read that right – I roasted cranberries! I kind of have a not-so-mild obsession with cranberries right now {in case you couldn’t tell from my Cranberry Apple Sauce recipe} and I had no idea what to do with my extra cranberries. I mean I knew I wanted them in my chicken salad but I didn’t know how. So of course I went to the Google and wouldn’t you know — people roast cranberries!

GENIUS I tell you, GENIUS! So I went ahead and roasted some for myself. Then I thought “Liz – you have extra apples because it’s that time of year – so let’s make one great big sexy Chicken Salad”.  And I did! {and yes, I do talk to myself in pretty much every stage of recipe development — unless the dog is around, in which case she get’s an ear full!}.

So why roast the cranberries? Well because it’s delicious that’s why!! Plus I don’t even know if you can eat raw cranberries — but I’m guessing it’s pretty gross if you can. And if you boil them a little that’s just boring. You can try to pan fry them but that’s just messy – so roasting makes sense! I’ll give you the 411 on roasting these pretty little things in the recipe – but let me just say you don’t have to just use roasted cranberries in chicken salad. You can literally add them to anything. Cookies included! I mean come on tart + sweet = greatest cookie ever {and is probably in your near future if we’re being honest}.

I also think you could pop these into apple sauce, any pork stir fry dish that you want to add a little boost of something too, paleo cheesecake, pancakes, most chicken stir fries, and this list just won’t stop! So don’t hold back when roasting these and make extra! Then just have a cranberry everything party!

If we’ve been friends for a while you’ll notice I have a HUGE obsession with chicken salad. I think I have 3 or 4 recipes on the blog now, but literally every time I make chicken salad it changes. This recipe however, I’m going to always follow because it’s SO good! I’m obsessed with the salty, tangy, crunchy, texture combination that this one has. Not to mention it can be really quick to make! The next time you’re roasting up a whole lot of chicken or making chicken stock – set some of that chicken goodness aside so you can make this! It’ll literally cut the cooking time to almost nothing if you have the chicken pre-made!

And I think this goes perfectly with the Carrot Sweet Potato Mash, over a salad, with spaghetti squash, or in a bowl as is! So don’t be shy with this and play around! Also – she’s so pretty that I highly suggest using her for Festive Holiday or any kind of party! You’ll look like a rock star without breaking a sweat and your wallet will thank you! Just make sure if you do bring it to a party or something that you make extra for yourself. Because Chicken Salad that’s why {I so almost hash tagged chicken salad and then remembered this wasn’t Instagram! }

Roasted Cranberry Chicken Salad

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• Author: Liz
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 35 mins
• Yield: 2-4 people

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Ingredients

Roasted Cranberries

• 2 cups of rinsed, fresh cranberries
• 1.5 TBSP of maple syrup {you can add a little more if you like it super sweet!}
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• pinch of salt

Chicken Salad

• Fat of choice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 large onion, medium-dice
• 4 large chicken boneless, skinless chicken breast { 3lb }, diced
• roasted cranberries {see below for how to}
• 1-2 batches of paleo mayo
• 1 large apple, diced
• 2 small stalks of celery, diced
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Dried basil
• 2 tsp. each of cumin and dried oregano
• salt + pepper

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Instructions

Roasting The Cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 {F}
2. Place all of your ingredients into a small mixing bowl
3. Mix it all up well and place it onto a small aluminum foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet
4. Roast for 10-15 minutes, or until your cranberries have started to burst and cook through.
5. Let them cool and either store to use at a later point in the fridge or add straight away to your chicken salad!
   these will cluster together which is TOTALLY fine! They’ll break apart in the chicken salad when you mix it together!

Assembling Chicken Salad

1. Get your cranberries roasting {see above for details}! Let them roast in the oven while you do everything else and just pull them out when they’re done and set them off to the side!
2. Get a large skillet heating with your favorite fat and add in your garlic and onion, allow it to start to cook while you dice up your chicken.
3. Add your chicken into the skillet, sprinkle in some salt + pepper and let it cook.
   If you have pre-cooked chicken, you can skip this step and just quickly cook up your onion + garlic and then add to your mixing bowl!
4. While it’s cooking make your mayo and dice your apple and celery.
5. When your chicken is done allow it to cool off for a few and then add it to a large bowl with 1 batch of mayo, your seasonings, diced vegetables, and roasted cranberries.
6. Mix it all well, taste test and adjust / add more mayo as needed.
7. Store in the fridge covered and serve when ready!

Notes

P.S. When roasting the cranberries — before you spread them onto your sheet pan you might have extra liquid from the maple syrup + lemon juice, don’t add that to the pan, just do the cranberries! Otherwise the liquid could burn and it just wouldn’t be pretty 🙂