Waldorf Chicken Salad Recipe Is the World's Most Perfect Salad (7 Ingredients, 15 Minutes, High Protein) by Elisa Schmitz

If you've never tried a Waldorf salad, let me highly recommend it. The Waldorf salad gets its name from the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, where the iconic salad was created in 1896 for a charity ball benefiting a children's hospital. The Waldorf-Astoria's maître d', Oscar Tschirky, is said to be the creator of the famous salad recipe (along with many other highly-regarded Waldorf dishes). The Waldorf may have a fancy name, but it's a very simple salad. And, if you ask me, the Waldorf chicken salad is quite possibly the world's most perfect salad.

The wholesome salad was originally created with celery and apples tossed in mayonnaise, served on a bed of lettuce. Over time, other ingredients were added – grapes, walnuts, chicken, dried fruit – and the dressing ranged from seasoned mayonnaise to lemony yogurt. The combination of crisp celery and apples, sweet grapes, crunchy walnuts, savory chicken and a creamy dressing creates an unbelievable flavor that's as nutritious as it is delicious. And the fact that you can tailor the high-protein salad to your own tastes makes it truly perfect.

This moist and flavorful Waldorf chicken salad recipe gets its protein punch from chicken and Greek yogurt (check out the health benefits of protein and the health benefits of Greek yogurt), and fiber from celery (check out the health benefits of celery), apples (learn about the health benefits of apples) and, of course, walnuts (the walnuts provide health benefits, too). But the best part about this high-fiber salad recipe is the taste. Creamy, crunchy perfection!

To make this delicious Waldorf salad recipe, here are the gluten-free ingredients you'll need to gather: plain Greek yogurt, lemon (zest and juice), cooked chicken, celery, red grapes, apples and chopped walnuts. All you do is combine the nourishing ingredients in a single bowl then serve it however you like – all in just about 15 minutes. How can something so good be so simple? I'll take it, any day of the week.

Serve this irresistible chicken salad for lunch on its own, or on top of leafy greens, or piled onto bread or tortillas, etc. When meal-planning, I like to make enough to have on hand for easy dinners throughout the busy week. There is no wrong way to enjoy the simple salad with the fancy name!

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or mayonnaise)
• 1 medium lemon (juice and zest)
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup apple, diced (I used honeycrisp)
• 1 cup red grapes, halved
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• fresh herbs (optional garnish)
• salt and pepper, to taste (optional, but I used about 1/3 teaspoon of each)

Here's how to make it:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the Greek yogurt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, if desired. Whisk to combine. Taste to see if you'd like to add any more of any of the ingredients.
   
2. Add the chicken.
   
3. Add the celery, apples, grapes and walnuts. Stir to combine. (I used honeycrisp apple but you can use your preferred apple.)
   
4. Transfer to a serving bowl or to individual bowls, if you like, and serve.
   
5. Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
   

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