This lovely festive twist on the viral crispy rice salad is vibrant, colorful and a FAB way to use up any holiday leftovers. Packed with shredded Brussel sprouts, chicken, juicy sausage stuffing balls, zesty pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, pistachios, AND drizzled with a sweet, zingy cranberry dressing. The perfect make-ahead holiday side.
The viral crispy rice salad continues to deliver! You loved my satay crispy rice salad, chicken Caesar crispy rice salad, juicy chicken shawarma crispy rice salad, and this lovely Mediterranean crispy rice salad, so I thought giving it a little festive twist was another fun variation on the formula.
The idea for this one started with me trying to come up with creative ways to use leftovers from entertaining over the holidays. Turkey sandwiches are great, but they get boring very quickly! And this salad is a brilliant option to try if you’re looking for something different.
It uses:
- Juicy herb roasted chicken (or you could use turkey).
- Cranberry sauce in the zingy dressing.
- Gruyere cheese (that you might have leftover from a cheese board – or if you’ve made this Christmas charcuterie wreath).
- You can also throw in juicy sausage and cranberry stuffing balls.
- The crispy ranch and Parmesan-laden rice brings the whole thing together.
While this salad is a fab way to use leftovers, you can also absolutely make it as a stand-alone salad, any time of the year. It keeps brilliantly, which means it’s a great option for meal prep.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Rice. Any rice works here. I’m using long-grain rice, and the instructions for cooking the rice in the recipe below is for long-grain rice, so if you’re using short-grain or brown rice, make sure to follow the packet instructions for how to cook it.
- Chicken. This is a brilliant way to use up any leftovers you might have from holiday entertaining – shredded herby roast chicken or roast turkey is great, as is using a rotisserie chicken from the store.
- Dried fruit. For that lovely festive color and flavor, I’m using dried cranberries and apricots. You can switch this up if you like – dried mango, figs, or apples are lovely too.
- Pistachios. I love using pistachios for their vibrant color, but other nuts work well too. Try pecans, almonds, walnuts, or cashews. Or pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version.
- The cranberry dressing. This dressing is a fab way to use up any leftover cranberry sauce. You’ll also need olive oil, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar).
I also love to add any leftover juicy sausage stuffing balls (or just crispy cooked sausage meat!) as well.
How to Make the Festive Crispy Rice Salad
Spread your cooked rice onto a lined oven tray and mix with olive oil, parmesan, ranch seasoning, and salt. Bake until golden and crispy.
Mix your cranberry dressing, then add all the remaining salad ingredients to a bowl. Pour over the crispy rice when it’s done, then drizzle with the dressing and mix to combine. Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy.
Festive Crispy Rice Salad FAQs
You can really play around here. This one started as a fun way to use up holiday leftovers, so you can really throw anything in. Green beans, roasted vegetables, leftover cured meats, and cheese…it’s up to you!
Once mixed with the dressing and left to sit, the rice won’t stay as crispy as it was when it came out of the oven. This doesn’t hugely matter if you’re enjoying leftovers for yourself or making the salad for meal prep, as it still tastes delicious.
But if you’re entertaining, I recommend adding the crispy rice and the dressing just before serving. All the other ingredients can be mixed together and prepared a couple of days ahead of time.
Watch How to Make the Festive Crispy Rice Salad
Like this recipe? Try these festive ideas next
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Festive Crispy Rice Salad with Cranberry Dressing
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This lovely festive twist on the viral crispy rice saladis vibrant, colorful and a FAB way to use up any holiday leftovers. Packed with shredded Brussel sprouts, chicken, sausage stuffing balls, juicy pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries, pistachios AND drizzled with a sweet, zesty cranberry dressing. The perfect make-ahead holiday side.
Ingredients
For the crispy rice salad –
- 2 cups cooked rice (or 2/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ranch seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 7oz/200g Brussel sprouts, shredded
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1/3 cup pistachios, chopped
- Handful of sage, chopped
- 2 chicken breasts, chopped or shredded (or use roast chicken or turkey leftovers)
- 2oz/50g Gruyere cheese, cubed
- 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
- 6 sausage stuffing balls (optional), chopped
For the cranberry dressing –
- 4 tablespoons cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Water, to thin
Instructions
- Cook your rice (skip this step if you use leftover rice). Add 2/3 cup of rice to a small saucepan you have a lid for. Add 1 cup of water, then set the pan over high heat. When you see the water looking foamy on top, pop the lid on, reduce the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat (still with the lid on), and set it aside for another 10 minutes, to finish steaming. After this, fluff up the grains with a fork, then spread it onto an oven tray lined with parchment paper and pop it into the fridge to cool, for at least 10 minutes.
- Make your crispy rice. Heat your oven to 400F/200C. If you’re using leftover rice, transfer it to a parchment paper-lined oven tray. If you’re using your fresh rice, get the tray from the fridge. Drizzle the rice with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese, 2 teaspoons of ranch seasoning and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix through the rice. Spread the seasoned rice into a thin, even layer and then pop it into the oven for 25 – 30 minutes to crisp up. Check the rice after 15 minutes to see how it’s going – some ovens are a little uneven and you may want to rotate the tray. Check it at 20 minutes too as it can easily burn and again, all ovens are different.
- Make the cranberry dressing. Add 4 tablespoons of cranberry sauce, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard to a bowl, or a jar you have a lid for. Pop the lid on the jar and shake well, until you have a creamy, pink dressing. Or, use a fork to mix the ingredients vigorously in the bowl. If it’s quite thick (this will depend on your cranberry sauce), add a little water to thin it out.
- Mix your salad. When your rice is lovely and golden, remove it from the oven. Add the shredded brussel sprouts, 1/3 cup of dried cranberries, 1/3 cup of dried apricots, 1/3 cup of pistachios, chopped sage, the chopped or shredded chicken, Gruyere cheese, pomegranate seeds and stuffing balls (if you’re using them) to a mixing bowl. Pour the crispy rice on top, then pour over the dressing. Mix well so that the dressing is evenly dispersed throughout the salad, then transfer to a serving platter and enjoy.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: This salad is a brilliant way to use up leftovers you might have from a herby roast chicken or turkey, or use a rotisserie chicken from the store.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Swap Brussel sprouts for shredded cabbage if you like. You can play around with the dried fruit you use – dried mango, apples or figs are great too. Swap the pistachios for pecans, walnuts, almonds or cashews or use pumpkin seeds for a nut-free version. Switch the Gruyere for strong cheddar, feta, or any leftover cheese from a holiday platter.
PREP AHEAD: The crispy rice won’t stay as crispy as it was out of the oven once you mix it with the dressing and the rest of the ingredients. If you’re entertaining, I recommend adding the rice and the dressing just before serving for the best texture.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Any leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days stored in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: salads
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 250g
- Calories: 583
- Sugar: 11.1g
- Sodium: 1092.4mg
- Fat: 25.3g
- Saturated Fat: 6.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44.5g
- Fiber: 4.8g
- Protein: 43.3g
- Cholesterol: 118.5mg
LOVE!!! This was soooooooo good and a really nice take on a wintery salad! Will definitely make again.