Chicken Waldorf Salad is a classic recipe with a protein-packed twist. This refreshing salad features tender chicken, crisp apples and grapes, and crunchy celery and walnuts, all brought together with a creamy tangy dressing. Enjoy on its own, in a sandwich, lettuce cups, or a wrap for a satisfying and delicious meal.
This chicken salad is our go-to for a refreshing lunch or beach picnic. We love the blend of flavors and textures and how it can be enjoyed with your favorite bread or on its own. Simply chop your ingredients, mix your dressing, and toss it all together!
Looking for chicken recipes to use for the chicken salad? Try our Cast Iron Chicken Breast or Dutch Oven Chicken.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Chicken Salad
- Taste - The combination of savory shredded chicken, sweet apple and grapes, and hearty walnuts in a tangy dressing is satisfying.
- Texture - The chicken and fruits are tender while the walnuts, scallions, and celery add a crunchy, flavorful accent.
- Effort - All you need to do is make the dressing then mix it with the cooked chicken and other ingredients.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken - The chicken is tender and cut into small chunks.
- Apples - Apples add a sweet tartness and crunch. Our favorites are honey crisp and fuji.
- Seedless grapes - Grapes add sweetness. Our favorites are cotton candy grapes and regular purple grapes.
- Chopped walnuts - Walnuts add a hearty crunch.
- Celery - Chopped celery adds a little crunch and brightness.
- Shallot and scallions - Shallot adds a light bite and oniony flavor.
- Dressing - The dressing has a rich mayo base with tangy dijon mustard and bright lemon juice and zest.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Sandwich - Enjoy the chicken salad on a delicious croissant or baguette.
- Greek yogurt - Replace mayonnaise with Greek yogurt or use half Greek yogurt and mayo for a lighter, healthier option.
- Nuts - Instead of walnuts, use almonds or pecans.
- Paprika - Add a sprinkle of paprika for a warm kick.
- Dried fruit - Add a chewy sweet dried fruit like cranberries or golden raisins.
How to Make Chicken Salad
- Make dressing - In a large mixing bowl, add mayonnaise and/or greek yogurt, dijon mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. Then stir until combined. (Photo 1 and 2)
- Make salad - Add chicken, diced apple, halved grapes, chopped walnuts, diced celery, minced shallot, and thinly sliced scallions to the bowl. Then fold the ingredients until they are evenly coated in the dressing. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl while folding to ensure you incorporate all of the dressing. (Photo 3 and 4)
- Serve - Serve on a lettuce leaf-lined serving platter, in mini lettuce cups, in sandwiches, and more!
Pro tip - If you are not serving the salad right away, squeeze a little lemon juice on the apples to prevent browning.
Top Tips
- Chop all of your ingredients to make them the same size so they will be evenly distributed throughout the salad.
- Mix all of the ingredients together well to ensure they are incorporated throughout the salad.
FAQ
We love to use skillet chicken or roasted chicken.
Yes, this chicken salad is a great way to use leftover chicken.
Yes, you can substitute the chickpeas or tofu.
Related Recipes
Love This Recipe?
Love this Waldorf chicken salad recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below & leave a comment below. If you are looking for other hearty salad recipes, try our BBQ Chicken Salad or Flank Steak Salad Recipe.
Sign up for THP's newsletter and keep in touch on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube. If you make this recipe, tag #theheirloompantry so we can see your homemade chicken salad!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Waldorf Salad
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise or half mayo and half greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed, plus more for the apple
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Chicken Salad
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1 crisp apple cored and diced, honey crispy, granny apple, fuji apple
- ½ cup seedless grapes halved
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- â…” cup celery stalks about 2 medium celery stalks, diced
- 1 small shallot minced
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Make dressing - In a large mixing bowl, add mayonnaise and/or greek yogurt, dijon mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir until combined.½ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Make salad - Add chicken, diced apple, halved grapes, chopped walnuts, diced celery, minced shallot, and thinly sliced scallions to the bowl. Fold the ingredients until they are evenly coated in the dressing. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl while folding to ensure you incorporate all of the dressing.2 cups diced cooked chicken, 1 crisp apple, ½ cup seedless grapes, ½ cup chopped walnuts, ⅔ cup celery stalks, 1 small shallot, 2 scallions
- Serve - Serve on a lettuce leaf-lined serving platter, in mini lettuce cups, in sandwiches, and more!
Video
Notes
- If you are not serving the chicken salad right away, squeeze some lemon juice on the apples to prevent browning.
- Be sure to chop the ingredients to make them the same size so they are evenly distributed throughout the salad.
-
- Refrigerate leftover chicken salad in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Chuck
Much better than my usual chicken salad. I really liked the grapes and apples.
Kathleen Higashiyama
That's great to hear, Chuck! We're thrilled you enjoyed the chicken salad. The grapes and apples give the salad a lot of texture and flavor. Be sure to give our Chicken Salad Lettuce Wrap, Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwich, and Chicken Salad Wrap a try!