Bensonhurst Kitchen: Chicken Salad With Dried Cranberries

One thing I’ve always wondered about was the wonderful properties of cranberries. They add moisture to dry meats like turkey and a certain tart sweetness to all that they touch.

In recent years, I’ve become acquainted with the dried cranberry, or craisin. The more concentrated taste, snappy texture and added sugar combine for a delicious addition of flavor.

Colleen and I were in Key Food last weekend when we wondered if our tangy little dehydrated friends could be the key to a perfect chicken salad.

After buying a bag, we discovered that, along with some seasoning, they give leftover chicken a new lease on life in the form of a highly addictive chicken salad sandwich.

Hold up, wait a minute.

Just where is all this surplus poultry coming from?

“This is the time of year for soups and stews. The base for most of them are chicken, beef, seafood or vegetable stock, and nothing makes your soup and stew better than homemade stock,” Colleen explained. “When making chicken stock I always have an abundance of chicken and enjoy coming up with new and interesting recipes to use it in.”

And if you’re not the soup-from-scratch type, you can always use a pre-cooked chicken from the grocery store.

Enjoy!

Colleen’s Chicken Salad With Dried Cranberries

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a bowl combine all the ingredients and mix until completely incorporated.

Serve on your favorite bakery sliced bread, lightly toasted.

TIPS:

Avoiding carbs now so that you can indulge in a carb-fest for the holidays?
Ditch the bread and serve the chicken salad on a bed of lettuce or baby spinach.

Not a fan of cranberries? Substitute raisins to achieve the same texture and touch of sweetness.

Recipe and tips by Colleen