Turkey Cranberry Wreath Recipe
A Wreath For Eating, Not Hanging On Your Front Door
Every year we can count on at least one invitation to a holiday season potluck dinner. This gives me the opportunity to make my super easy and seasonally festive turkey cranberry wreath……not for hanging on the door, but for consumption.
My copy of the recipe was copied from a magazine years ago and is barely legible, so I take some liberties with the ingredients. The main idea is, I wrap some form of turkey or chicken salad in two packages of crescent roll dough put together in the shape of a wreath.
It takes minimal time to prepare, presents well, and is easy to eat. What more can you ask for? And it’s good anytime of the year, not just when wreaths are traditionally in season!
Ingredients
Filling
2 cups cooked turkey or chicken (I usually use Thanksgiving leftovers or just buy a roast chicken or turkey breast from the market)
½ cup celery, chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (feel free to experiment with different fresh herbs - tarragon is good too)
½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (about 4 oz.)
¼ walnuts or pecans, chopped (you can substitute any nut you like here – sometimes I’ll add pistachios instead just to add a little “green” with the red cranberries)
Crust
2 packages of refrigerated crescent rolls (8 rolls each for a total of 16 rolls)
How To Prepare At Home
Filling
Mix together everything but the nuts – hold these for wreath assembly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside the filling as you lay out the crust.
Crust
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Unroll the dough and separate into 16 triangles.
On your baking sheets (I use a pizza sheet because it’s round J), arrange 8 of the triangles into a circle with the wide ends toward the center (think wreath here to get the visual).
You want each triangle to touch the ones on either side of it, such that the wide base of each triangle forms part of the circle in the center.
Then take the other 8 triangles and match them up the other way, joining the base of each inner triangle in a seam with the base of an outer triangle. Press the seams together.
Spread the turkey/chicken salad mixture along the seam to create the filling for the wreath.
Now sprinkle the nuts over the filling.
Beginning with an inner triangle, lift it over the filling. Then lift the outer triangle over the filling the other way to “cover” it, slightly overlapping the triangles.
Keep working around the circle in alternating fashion until you have completed the wreath.
I usually brush some beaten egg on the dough before putting in the oven. Bake 25-30 minutes until the crust is the color is golden brown.
That’s it! You just put it out with a knife and spatula and let people slice and serve themselves.
It’s good hot or cold. Just one caveat - once you bring it to a potluck, you will find people requesting it in the future, so plan to add this to your repertoire of go-to recipes.
Enjoy!
I'm a work-at-home dad who enjoys cooking, learning everything I can about the culinary world and sharing it with you. To learn more about me...
