Cranberry Chicken Salad Pinwheel Sandwiches with cream cheese are made with chicken, almonds, cranberries, green onions, and feta rolled up in spinach tortillas. Chicken salad roll ups make a great appetizer for parties -- and taste even better than they look.
For more pinwheel recipe ideas, try Mexican Street Corn Tortilla Roll Ups, Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels, and the 25 BEST Tortilla Pinwheel Recipes!
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🎥Video: How to Make Cranberry Chicken Salad Pinwheels
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Super delicious chicken pinwheels are fast and easy to make for a light lunch, game day, or holiday party. And you'll be the hit of the party because everyone loves these tortilla roll-ups!
You’re Going to Love These
- Chicken pinwheels have a pretty festive look -- a perfect appetizer for the holidays
- This easy recipe comes together with simple ingredients
- Tortilla chicken salad sandwiches make a delicious snack or easy lunch
- Great way to use leftover chicken or holiday turkey
Ingredients
Cream cheese. Cream cheese makes the cranberry chicken salad rich and thick enough to roll up in a tortilla wrap. I recommend using block cream cheese because it's thicker than tubbed cream cheese spread.
Sour cream. Sour cream adds even more tang to the cream cheese base.
Shredded chicken breast. I use rotisserie chicken. Finely shred the chicken so you can roll the tortillas into tight rolls.
Almonds. Almonds add nutty flavor and satisfying crunch to the cranberry chicken salad pinwheels.
Dried cranberries. The cranberries bring a hit of sweetness and chewy texture.
Flour tortillas. 10-inch tortillas are the perfect size for these chicken salad pinwheel sandwiches.
Substitutions
Mustard. You can use any kind of mustard you like.
Protein. Leftover turkey or ham, or crumbled bacon —- or even smashed chickpeas — would be delicious in place of the chicken.
Nuts. You can use toasted or untoasted nuts of any kind. Pecans or pine nuts would also be delicious.
Dried fruit. Dried cherries or blueberries would also work.
Aromatics and herbs. Chives, shallots, red onion, or your favorite fresh herbs would be great substitutes for green onions in these sandwich pinwheels.
Feta cheese. If you’re not a fan of feta, use your favorite cheese. Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, Swiss cheese, provolone cheese -- any cheese would be delicious.
Large tortillas. Not gonna lie, I chose the spinach tortillas 100% for the pretty color :). You can use plain or any flavor of flour tortillas -- or even a whole wheat tortilla.
How to Make Chicken Salad Pinwheels
Step 1: Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and Dijon mustard together with a hand mixer.
Step 2: Add the chicken, almonds, cranberries, green onions, and feta cheese. Stir until combined.
Step 3: Spread the chicken mixture onto a tortilla, leaving a ½ inch border along the sides and top.
Step 4: Tightly roll up the tortilla.
Step 6: Tightly wrap the tortilla roll ups in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the rolled up tortillas for several hours to allow the filling to become firm.
Step 7: Gently slice the tortillas with a serrated knife into pinwheel sandwiches.
Chicken salad pinwheels are best served the day you make them.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature cream cheese to ensure a smooth and creamy mixture without lumps of cream cheese.
- Roll your tortillas tightly so they don’t fall open when you pick them up.
- Wrap the rolled tortillas in plastic wrap. Plastic wrap helps the rolled tortillas hold their shape.
- Chill the roll ups for a few hours before slicing to give the cream cheese a chance to firm up. This will make it easy to slice your pinwheels and keep them nice and round.
- Slice with a serrated knife. Slice the pinwheels using a sawing motion with a serrated knife to keep the soft tortilla rolls from flattening when you cut them.
Recipe FAQs
You can make these tortilla roll-ups up to a day in advance. Note, however, that the tortillas will absorb some moisture overnight, and they will be softer the next day. For best results, make this easy pinwheels recipe the day you will be serving them.
Limit the moisture in the filling ingredients. For example, too much sour cream can make the cream cheese mixture too wet. Or if you add fresh fruit or vegetables, it can also add moisture to the filling.
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📖 Recipe
Cranberry Chicken Salad Pinwheel Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 4 sliced green onions
- ½ cup feta cheese
- 3 10-inch tortillas
Instructions
- Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and Dijon mustard together with a hand mixer.
- Add the chicken, almonds, cranberries, green onions, and feta cheese. Stir until combined.
- Spread the mixture onto a tortilla, leaving a ½ inch border along the sides and top.
- Tightly roll up the tortilla.
- Tightly wrap the tortilla rolls in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the rolled up tortillas for several hours to allow the filling to become firm.
- Remove the plastic wrap and slice the tortillas with a serrated knife into pinwheel sandwiches.
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