Make the Pickled Red Onions:

Make the Pickling Mixture. Combine water, apple cider vinegar, sugar, kosher salt (or sea salt), bay leaf, and black peppercorns in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring the liquids to a simmer, and stir occasionally until the salt and sugar are dissolved.

Combine with Red Onion Slices. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool. While it is cooling, thinly slice the red onion (You should have about 1/2 cup of red onion slices, but a little more or less is ok, too!). Place the onion slices into a glass jar that can be sealed shut, then pour the pickling mixture into the jar directly on top of the onions. Allow the onions to hang out in the pickling mixture for about 20-25 minutes at room temperature before using. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Make the Chicken Salad Sandwiches:

Prep the ingredients. Chop the celery into small pieces, about 1/8 inch in size. Roughly chop the dried cranberries and pickled red onions (once cooled), then finely chop the chicken and fresh parsley.

Combine everything. Mix the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and a little salt together in a large bowl (usually larger than you think you need). Add the celery, dried cranberries, roasted pepitas, pickled red onion, chicken, and parsley. Sprinkle in more salt and freshly cracked black pepper, then squeeze a lemon wedge over the top (about 1 – 2 tsp. of lemon juice). Stir to combine. Taste a little bit, and season with more salt and pepper as needed. (If it is good but not fantastic yet, just add a touch more salt and/or fresh lemon juice until it’s delicious!)

Pile onto flaky croissants. Place a leaf of green leaf lettuce over the bottom half of each croissant. Pile at least 1/2 cup (up to 3/4 cup) of chicken salad directly on top, then cap with the top half of the croissant. Serve immediately. (Note: This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of chicken salad, so 1/2 cup servings would make 3 sandwiches, and 3/4 cup servings would make 2 sandwiches).