A simple Turkey Salad Recipe perfect for sandwiches, spreading on crackers, or topping off a bed full of mixed greens! It's easy to make at home, even if you don't have leftover Thanksgiving turkey on hand -- however, if you do, now you're talking really easy!
Today, we'll cover how to bake perfectly juicy turkey tenderloins for your salad, talk about that two-minute dressing and exactly how to make it, and why Turkey Salad with dried cranberries is extra delicious!
WHAT'S IN TURKEY SALAD
- Turkey
- Finely Diced Onion
- Finely Diced Celery
- Dried Cranberries
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon Mustard
USE TURKEY TENDERS (OR LEFTOVER TURKEY)
Turkey Salad begins with turkey tenderloins. Turkey tenderloins are actually a part of the turkey breast, and you'll find them in the poultry section of most grocery stores labeled "Turkey Breasts Tenders." They are much smaller than the breast itself, and just the right amount of meat for this salad!
You could also use up your leftover holiday turkey. You will need about 1-1-½ pounds of leftover turkey for this salad. That will come out to about three cups when cut into a ½" dice.
TWO-MINUTE TURKEY SALAD DRESSING
Turkey Salad Dressing is shockingly quick and easy to make and shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to whip up. It's made up of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and a simple seasoning mix of granulated sugar, salt, and pepper. The sugar might come as a surprise ingredient, but it is an essential component to the dressing.
TURKEY SALAD WITH CRANBERRIES, PLEASE.
Dried cranberries are the perfect addition to Turkey Salad as they add just a little hint of sweetness to an overall savory mix. However, if you aren't a dried cranberry fan, you can substitute sliced grapes or leave them out completely.
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY SALAD
- Season and bake the turkey (if not using leftover turkey).
- Cut the turkey into cubes about the size of a ½" dice.
- Make the dressing.
- Add onions, celery, cranberries, and diced turkey to the dressing and stir to coat.
HOW TO SEASON AND BAKE TURKEY TENDERLOINS
If you're not used to baking turkey tenderloins, no problem -- it's just as easy (and tasty) as baked chicken breasts in the oven!
The first thing you'll do is pat the turkey tenderloins dry with a paper towel. This removes excess moisture, allowing the oil and seasoning to better adhere to the turkey.
Next, drizzle the turkey tenderloin with olive oil, season it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, and rub it all over the tenderloins. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
If using leftover Thanksgiving Turkey, you can omit this step completely.
TURKEY SALAD FOR SANDWICHES...AND MORE!
Croissants filled with Turkey Salad make for a nice treat. We love croissants with just about anything, especially chocolate croissants! But you'll also find our Turkey Salad divine between two slices of white, wheat, or oat bread.
You can also use it as a topper for crackers or over greens. Romaine lettuce or a nice spring mix would make a great bed for this savory salad!
5 MORE SALADS YOU’LL LOVE
- Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds is a traditional chicken salad recipe with the perfect spreadable consistency, thanks to a little kitchen technology.
- Bruschetta Chicken Salad is an exciting Italian chicken salad loaded with easy tomato bruschetta and a quick balsamic dressing!
- Panera Fuji Apple Salad is easy to make at home, and you’ll have no trouble at all throwing it together in your very own kitchen!
- Leftover Chopped Turkey Salad is a fun alternative to the Turkey Salad featured above. Goat cheese is incorporated into the dressing, and walnuts are added for a little extra crunch. Perfect for entertaining and serving with crackers!
- Southwest Chopped Chicken Salad Tacos is a healthy taco recipe featuring Southwest chopped chicken, black beans, corn, crisp lettuce, and more. Plus, a creamy cilantro lime dressing to top it all off!
Turkey Salad
Ingredients
For the Turkey Breast Tenders:
- 1 ½ pound turkey breast tenders
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
For the Salad:
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
For the Turkey Breast Tenders:
- Preheat oven to 375°. Have ready a sheet pan lined with foil, and prepare the turkey seasoning by combining 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ¾ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and a ¼ teaspoon onion powder in a small bowl.
- Pat turkey breast tenders dry with a paper towel. Transfer to the pan, drizzle olive oil evenly over and rub in on both sides. Season the tenders generously with the seasoning. Evenly massage seasoning all over.
- Bake for 35 minutes and allow to cool. Cut the turkey into a ½" dice and set aside.
For the Salad:
- Add the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the onion, celery, cranberries, and cut up turkey to the bowl and stir until everything is evenly coated in the dressing. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Adrianne says
Turkey and cranberry sounds like the perfect combination. I love the look of the salad and serving it on a croissant is fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Anita @ Daily Cooking Quest says
Love this simple turkey salad. I bet I can use some leftover rotisserie chicken in place of the turkey. 🙂
Estelle says
This looks fabulous! I've been looking for a recipe for chicken salad(I think I would sub the turkey because I never have it on hand. We host quite often for the weekend and this would be great as a summer lunch side!
Kelly Anthony says
That's great, Estelle! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Debbie says
I love cranberries in salads like this ..such a great recipe!!
Matt Ivan says
It’s nice to see an alternative to chicken salad. And this looks amazing on that roll!
Marlynn | Urban Bliss Life says
Love the idea of serving this turkey salad as a croissant sandwich! So many great flavors and textures in one dish.
Emily says
I love the addition of dried cranberries to this turkey salad! It adds the perfect amount of sweetness!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
I love turkey so much so love the next few months of course. This is a great way to use turkey, especially leftover turkey if you have some. Looks delicious.
Jenn says
What a festive and delicious twist to plain old chicken salad! I loved the dried cranberries in this dish. It's a winner!
Gloria says
I love chicken salad and turkey salad. One of my favourite sandwich fillings. Stuff this into a nice crusty bun and call it delicious.