Warm Pumpkin Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Recipe
Pumpkin chicken salad?
Yes.
I'll admit, the inspiration for this recipe came from a half empty can of pumpkin puree. And some leftover rotisserie chicken I spied in the fridge. In other words, this was a random "throw ingredients we have on hand together and hope it tastes good" kind of recipe.
It did.
This warm chicken salad uses fall flavors like pumpkin, toasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), dried cranberries and pecans.
In my usual free spirit cooking style, I literally threw the ingredients in a bowl without measuring. However, as an experienced calorie counter, I'm pretty good about estimating quantities so I'll share approximate measurements.
The recipe makes one serving, but feel free to double it for a friend. I don't eat wheat, but this would be amazing on toasted artisan bread. Yum!
- 4 ounces cooked chicken, chopped
- 2 tbsp. pumpkin puree
- 1 tbsp. light mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp. dried cranberries
- 1 tbsp. chopped pecans
- 1 tbsp. pepitas (toasted if desired)
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- Himalayan salt, to taste
- Combine pumpkin puree, mayo and cinnamon.
- Warm chicken in a microwave safe bowl for approximately 30-45 seconds.
- Stir pumpkin mixture into the chicken.
- Add cranberries, pecans and pepitas and stir gently to combine. Season with Himalayan salt to taste.
