Turkey Salad with Cranberries

Easy and delicious turkey salad with cranberries, pecans, apple and green onion, all tossed in a creamy poppy seed dressing. Just as lovely made with left-over cooked chicken or tuna, too!

Why I love this turkey salad recipe

• As noted in the title, you can make this salad with either cooked chicken or cooked turkey, so it’s a perfect use for leftovers. Try it with tuna, too!
• I love this combination of flavours and textures, with ample dried cranberries, crunchy pecans and crispy, tart apple. The creamy dressing with a touch of poppy seeds brings it all together
• Even with the apple, this salad keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

What you’ll need

A few notes about the salad ingredients …

Cooked Turkey (or chicken) – both are equally good in the salad. Cut the cooked chicken or turkey into small cubes. A great use for left-over cooked turkey or chicken or I will often buy a turkey breast, cook it off, enjoy a meal then use the rest for this delicious salad.

Dried Cranberries – you can use sweetened or unsweetened dried cranberries. If your cranberries are older and a little tough (or you don’t love the cranberries too chewy), you can soak them in hot water for 10-15 minutes to rehydrate and soften them.

Pecans or Walnuts – both pecans and walnuts are great in this salad. Use what you have or prefer. I generally use them plain, but you can toast them for extra flavour if you like.

Green Onion – the green onion brings a lovely green colour and a subtle extra flavour. If you don’t have green onion, a bit of finely diced red or yellow onion would work, too.

Diced Apple – use any apple you have or enjoy. I don’t peel the apple, but you can if you like. I dice the apple to about the size of the dried cranberries.

For the dressing …

Mayonnaise – you can use whatever mayonnaise or salad dressing you like. An alternative to mayonnaise could be Greek yogurt, though the flavour profile would be a bit tangier. You could also do 1/2 mayo and 1/2 Greek yogurt.

Dried Mustard – if you don’t have dried mustard, substitute a bit of prepared mustard or Dijon mustard.

Poppy Seeds – I love poppy seeds in this salad, but you can omit them if you aren’t a fan.

Step-by-step photos

1. After adding all the salad ingredients to a large bowl, prepare the dressing by adding the mayonnaise to a measuring cup. Add the vinegar to the mayonnaise.
2. Add the sugar to the dressing.
3. Add the salt to the dressing.
4. Add the dried mustard to the dressing.
5. Add the poppy seeds to the dressing and stir it all together until well combined.
6. Add the dressing to the bowl and stir to coat and combine.

Making ahead and storing

This salad is nice enjoyed freshly mixed, but maybe even a bit better after it has been refrigerated a few hours.

This salad keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. I find the apple holds up well, but if you’re concerned, you can omit the apple at prep and stir it in fresh when serving.