Cranberry Chicken Salad

When I was younger, I had a passion for mayonnaise. I used to eat mayonnaise sandwiches as a child. I just enjoyed the taste, and especially on warm toasted bread. I think my mom's chicken salad sandwiched had a similar effect, except this time there was actual food between my bread.

So even though my mom made me shred chicken, and even though she put mixed vegetables in her chicken salad, (gah, Lima beans!!), she made up for it by adding rotini, or other short spiral pasta. Mmm.... pasta sandwiches, I had greatly advanced from my mayo days.
 

These days, I'm not putting pasta in my chicken salad. I don't put pasta between bread and call it a sandwich, either. Sometimes, I add fruit to my chicken salad instead of veggies.

Call me crazy, but sometimes change can be refreshing, delicious, and when walnuts are involved, there's a nice crunch too. Salad or sandwich, this one's a winner.

Cranberry Chicken Salad
adapted slightly from AllRecipes

Ingredients
2 cooked chicken breast halves, shredded
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 green apple, diced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Shred the 2 chicken breasts into a medium mixing bowl. Add the 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and the 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts. Cut 1/2 of a tart green apple into small square pieces and add to the chicken mixture, stir well.

Measure out the 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and add to the chicken, stirring together so that the mixture gets coated evenly. Crack fresh pepper and salt onto the chicken. Add the 1/4 teaspoon of dried dill. Stir until well combined.

Serve over a bed of shredded lettuce, or enjoy in a sandwich.