Cranberry Apple Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Cranberry Apple Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Today Aly from FudgingAhead is hosting a virtual baby shower for Joanna from Midwestern Bite! Joanna is expecting a little girl, and Aly thoughtfully asked bloggers to take part in this baby shower for Joanna. Joanna's site represents Joanna... she writes about her life in the midwest, her family, crafts, and food.

Over the holidays, Joanna posted an incredible recipe, an Apple Cranberry Pie with Sweet Nut Topping. She was tweeting about one of her favorite recipes, which sounded amazing, and I asked her to post a blog post with the recipe. I made the pie last month, and it was truly amazing and all my family members who tried it kept going back for more. I was anticipating leftovers because my family is small, but there wasn't any more pie left to take home! This recipe quickly became a favorite of mine, which I plan on making again and again!

This recipe here incorporates some of the main components of the wonderful pie recipe: cranberries, apples, and pecans. I felt that this would be a great tribute to one of my most memorable interactions with Joanna. This recipe is also great for a baby shower party, because you can cut these into little sandwiches to serve to your guests! I like this recipe because it reminds me of my mom's chicken salad (she seriously makes the best chicken salad), and is actually very close to her recipe. The secret ingredient is the dill and it definitely adds an extra layer of flavor in this salad.

Please check out Aly's site for more yummy recipes to help Joanna celebrate her baby shower!

Congratulations to you and your growing family, Joanna!

Cranberry Apple Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Slightly adapted from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

1 c. cooked chicken, cut in bite-sized pieces
1/2 c. diced apple (Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Jonagold)
3 Tbs. dried cranberries, diced
2 Tbs. red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. pecans, chopped
1 tsp. Dijon or stoneground mustard
1/2 tsp. dried dill
2 - 3 Tbs. mayonnaise
salt and pepper, to taste
slices of bread

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together, except for mayonnaise and salt and pepper. Add two tablespoons of mayonnaise and mix well. If the mixture seems too dry, add another tablespoon of mayonnaise. Flavor the mixture with salt and pepper, according to your taste.

Serve the chicken salad on slices of bread, then serve. (You can also serve this on a bed of lettuce.) Refrigerate any leftovers.