Welcome to the Waldorf
With warmer weather around the corner, we’re officially entering salad season. And for us, that always means Waldorf salad. The original Waldorf salad recipe was first served at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1896 as a simple combination of apples, celery, and mayonnaise. But in the century since, it’s seen countless adaptations—like that version grandma used to make with iceberg lettuce and mini marshmallows. For our chicken Waldorf salad recipe, we combine the sweet and savory flavor combo that we all know and love, but with a few “grown-up” substitutions that make it even better than the original. And no marshmallows (sorry, grandma). For more chicken lunch goodness, try our classic Chicken Salad.
Why We Love This Waldorf Salad Recipe
From Easter brunches to springtime picnics, our Waldorf salad recipe is the perfect accompaniment to the warming weather—just remember that since the dressing is mayo-based you’ll want to keep it on ice when it’s not in the fridge. Here’s when we serve it:
- Brunch! With its not-so-subtle sweetness and big, bright crunch it’s a great addition to a tableful of French toast and egg casseroles.
- Picnics in the park. The addition of cooked chicken truly makes this a complete meal. Pack it in your cooler and head out to the park.
- Neighborhood potlucks. Save neighbors from one more bowl of potato salad and take this refreshing, crisp Waldorf salad, instead. Plus, they make inflatable ice trays, so there’s no worry in not being able to keep this salad cold.
Waldorf Salad Ingredients
What’s in Waldorf salad? Get ready to bring the crunch.
- Kale. Grandma used iceberg, which we’re not opposed to, but do like the grownup-ness kale brings to our version.
- Apple. Go for something tart (like a Granny Smith) to bring a bit of sour to each bite.
- Celery. Little flavor, big crunch.
- Grapes. Be sure to halve them if you’re going to serve the salad to the littles.
- Candied Walnuts. Our recipe for these little gems is pretty addicting—may want to consider doubling your batch.
- Cooked Chicken. Add a protein and boom—instant meal.
How Do You Make Waldorf Salad Dressing?
Whisk together these key ingredients:
- Mayonnaise. We’ve also tried this with Vegannaise and it’s equally delicious.
- Olive Oil
- White Balsamic. Or, you can substitute apple cider vinegar in a pinch.
- Fresh lemon juice + zest of a lemon
- Honey
- S&P
How to Make Waldorf Salad
This salad totally comes together in a flash, and you can even preassemble everything ahead of time and dress it right before serving.
- Chop. Our chicken Waldorf salad is heavy on the crunch. The most amount of prep will be chopping, dicing, and slicing kale, apples, celery, and grapes.
- Candy. So, our candied walnuts aren’t completely necessary, but we love both their candy-coated sweetness and added coat of crunch.
- Cook. Use any type of cooked chicken you fancy—leftover roast chicken, fresh-from-the-grill, or even poached. For this recipe, we prefer ours grilled, but really the choice is yours.
- Coat. Perhaps the best part of this salad? It’s creamy dressing. Drizzle it atop your assembled salads and toss to coat. Use any leftovers (if you have any!) at the center of a crudite for dipping.
Tools to Make Waldorf Chicken Salad
You don’t need much to make our Waldorf chicken salad, but we have found a few specific tools that come in handy!
- Salad spinner. You’ll want your kale as dry as possible before you dress it, and a salad spinner is the best tool for the task.
- Sharp knife. There’s a lot to cube and dice in this salad, so you’ll want to be sure your knife is good and sharp before you get started.
- Microplane zester. This handy little zester skims just the top layer of zest off your citrus, leaving any bitter white pith behind.
It’s Crunch Time!
Ready to crunch down on more mega salads? Here are some other crunchy faves:
- It’s utter amore with our Italian Chopped Salad.
- Bacon, egg, and avocado over kale? That’s how our Kale Caesar rolls.
- Our Curried Chicken Salad is the perfect make-ahead meal.
Send Us Your Salad Selfie!
Ours is pretty much the best Waldorf salad recipe, yet—don’t you agree? Show us those salad bowls and tag us @themodernproper and #themodernproper.
