Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I don’t remember the first time I tasted a croissant. I do know that I have never had a real croissant from France. In Minnesota, the best you get is really a facsimile of a true, flaky, buttery croissant. Still, it’s a great base for my Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Sandwiches.

Croissants in Minnesota make me think of Calvin Trillin’s daughter in his fabulous book “Feeding a Yen.” She grew up eating real bagels in New York City. She said, “Daddy, how come in Kansas City the bagels taste like just round bread?”

So true.

So the best thing to do with croissants in the Midwest is to turn them into a sandwich. They make wonderful sandwiches. And the best thing for a filling is some kind of chicken salad.

This recipe for Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad is good enough to eat on its own. You can add pasta to it to turn it into a pasta salad. Or you can cram it into a croissant.

Yum. Try it! If you have ever tasted a true French croissant, this recipe may make you not miss them so much.

Maybe.

Tips for the best Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad Sandwiches:

• Rotisserie chicken is the best choice for this recipe and for any recipe using cooked chicken.
• If you can’t find good croissants, you can put this filling onto any type of bread. Or add some pasta to turn it into a main dish salad!

Why this recipe works:

• Croissants hold up well when used for sandwiches. Their structure helps them stand up to fillings with a lot of ingredients.
• The crunch of celery and walnuts adds great texture to these little sandwiches.
• You can, of course, use ordinary sandwich buns or even toasted bread to hold the filling. Or serve the filling on its own as a salad. Add some cooked pasta if you’d like.