My mini chicken cranberry salad croissants make the perfect holiday appetizer or bite-sized main course. Buttery, flaky mini croissants are stuffed full of chicken cranberry salad with nuts and red onions to create a flavorful snack perfect for fall.
We’re already in mid-October, which means we’re getting into the thick of planning for holiday recipes. All I can say about that is, “Yay!”
From sweet treats like easy Halloween cookies, pecan pie bars, and Christmas candy cane cake to savory options like garlic parmesan mashed potatoes and easy corn casserole, the holidays are the best time of year if you’re a foodie, in my opinion!
Today, I’m sharing a tasty savory dish for the fall and holiday season. My mini chicken cranberry salad croissants combine my signature cranberry chicken salad with buttery mini croissants to make a tasty holiday appetizer or even a fun, fall-themed main course.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Limited Ingredients: This recipe only requires a handful of basic kitchen staples!
- So Easy: It only takes a few simple steps to make this recipe, and minimal kitchen knowledge is required. If you can boil water, you can make these little sandwiches!
- Delicious Fall Flavor: The addition of apple cider vinegar, cranberries, and chopped pecans gives the chicken salad a wonderful fall flavor perfect for the holidays.
- Customizable: It’s so easy to adjust this recipe to create your perfect version or even make new versions.
- Versatile: These are the perfect appetizer for holiday parties, but you can also serve them as a poppable main course for a fun fall meal.
- Affordable: The ingredients used in this recipe are all budget-friendly, which is more important now than ever!
Ingredients
You’ll find a complete list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Variations
- Semi-Homemade: Use a rotisserie chicken to add more seasoned flavor and eliminate cooking time.
- Turkey Salad: Use your leftover turkey to make turkey cranberry salad.
- Mayo: All you Miracle Whip lovers out there will be glad to know that the flavors in this salad work very well with the popular mayo alternative!
- Better-for-You: Use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of mayo for a rich, creamy chicken salad that’s better for you and still delicoius.
- A Little Sweeter: Use craisins in place of fresh cranberries for a version with a sweeter profile.
- A Touch of Heat: Add a small pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne for a little bit of heat.
- Nuts: Both pecans and walnuts work equally well in this recipe.
- Full-Size: Use full-sized croissants for hearty, delicious sandwiches that make a full meal.
How to Make Mini Chicken Cranberry Salad Croissants
Boil the chicken and shred it as soon as it’s safe enough to handle, and add it to a large bowl. Set it aside.
Add the mayonnaise to the shredded chicken.
Mix in the remaining ingredients, cover, and chill.
Slice each mini croissants and fill them with the chicken salad. Enjoy!
Tips
- Shred the chicken as soon as it’s safe enough to handle. Hot or warm meat shreds more easily and evenly than cool meat.
- Shred the chicken first, so it can cool as you make the other ingredients. You don’t want to mix hot chicken into the mayo base.
- Eliminate stinging, watery eyes by chilling the onion in the fridge for about 30 minutes before dicing it.
- Chill your chicken salad for at least 2 to 3 hours to give the flavors plenty of time to meld.
- To avoid heating up your refrigerator and still chill the salad quickly, place your bowl in an ice bath to quickly cool it down before putting it in the fridge.
- Assemble only as many sandwiches as you think will be eaten at a time. Storing assembled sandwiches leads to soggy croissants.
Mini Chicken Cranberry Salad Croissants FAQ
You can use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of mayo to make the chicken salad itself healthier. You could also serve it on toasted whole-grain English muffins for a nice flavor and texture.
Yes, you can! Adding fresh cranberries to chicken salad gives it a pop of texture and tart flavor that works well with the creaminess of the dressing.
You must store the salad separately from the croissants. Only make as many sandwiches as you think will be eaten at one time. Then, assemble more later. This prevents soggy bread.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
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Mini Chicken Cranberry Salad Croissants
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch chunks
- 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 20 mini cocktail croissants, cut in half lengthwise
Instructions
- Add chicken to a large pot of water and bring to a boil over medium heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- Drain water, remove chicken and place on a cutting board to cool a bit, then shred and place in a large bowl. Let cool a bit while gathering the other ingredients.
- Add the mayonnaise to the shredded chicken.
- Next, add the remaining ingredients. Stir until combined.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill.
- Add chicken salad to the mini croissants and enjoy.
Notes
- Refrigerate the chicken salad for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing is not recommended, as the mayo dressing will break.
- Shred the chicken as soon as it’s safe enough to handle. Hot or warm meat shreds more easily and evenly than cool meat.
- Shred the chicken first, so it can cool as you make the other ingredients. You don’t want to mix hot chicken into the mayo base.
- Eliminate stinging, watery eyes by chilling the onion in the fridge for about 30 minutes before dicing it.
- Chill your chicken salad for at least 2 to 3 hours to give the flavors plenty of time to meld.
- To avoid heating up your refrigerator and still chill the salad quickly, place your bowl in an ice bath to quickly cool it down before putting it in the fridge.
- Assemble only as many sandwiches as you think will be eaten at a time. Storing assembled sandwiches leads to soggy croissants.
Nutrition
I put these together for a brunch and they were perfect. The filling was creamy with just the right pop of cranberry, and the croissants stayed flaky!
Such a great idea for holiday brunch. I’m planning to make these for our weekend gathering. The cranberry twist sounds delicious!
This is my new favorite chicken salad sandwich recipe. This was the first time I ever put cranberries in mine, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is the perfect appetizer or meal for the fall season. I love the tartness of the cranberries.
I can’t wait to serve these at our holiday party! They’re going to be a hit.
The addition of the cranberries makes these so perfect for the holidays. It’s a great way to use up leftover turkey, too, after the holidays.