Easy Smoked Chicken Salad with Roasted Pecans & Cranberrie

Easy chicken salad made with Beer Can Smoked chicken, Roasted Pecans and Dried Cranberries.

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken salad, comfort food, quick, Salad, smoked, smoked chicken

Prep Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 414kcal

To make this smoked chicken salad, begin by roasting the pecans so they have time to cool. Spread the pecans in an even layer on a sheet pan. Roast them in a convection oven or air fryer at 325°F, or in a regular oven at 350°F, for 8–10 minutes, watching closely so they don’t burn. Once fragrant and lightly toasted, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. After cooling, roughly chop the pecans and set them aside.
1.5 cups pecans
Chop the celery by removing the leaves, and slicing it down the center, then chop into small pieces.
1.5 cups celery
Chop or shred the smoked chicken into bite-sized pieces.
6 cups smoked chicken
Roughly chop the dried cranberries so they distribute evenly throughout the chicken salad.
1.5 cup dried cranberries
Add the chopped or shredded chicken, diced celery, chopped cranberries, and roasted pecans to a large mixing bowl. Gently toss everything together so the ingredients are evenly combined before adding the creamy base.
Spoon the mayonnaise and sour cream over the mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold everything together until the chicken salad is well coated and creamy. Taste and adjust as needed—add a little more mayo if you want it creamier, or fold in additional pecans if you prefer extra crunch.
1 cup Mayonaise, 1 cup Sour Cream
For the best flavor, cover and refrigerate the chicken salad for 15–30 minutes to let the flavors come together. Give it one final stir before serving and enjoy.