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About This Recipe
You seriously can’t go wrong with this healthy waldorf salad recipe! This classic salad is made with crunchy celery, a mix of apples and grapes, tender chicken and combined with the best creamy lemon dressing. It’s perfect served over a bed of greens or on top of a toasted croissant!
This healthier version is a delicious way to enjoy all the classic taste you love but without all the extra calories. I’ve lightened up the original recipe by using a combination of plain greek yogurt and light mayo to reduce some of the fat and increase protein from using all traditional mayonnaise.
This healthy salad is great for a light lunch or even an afternoon snack! There’s so many ways you can serve this delicious salad including on a sandwich, in a wrap, on top of rice cakes or even by itself!
If you love sweet chicken salad recipes, check out my Rainbow Chicken Salad, Apple and Pecan Chicken Salad or Winter Cranberry and Pecan Chicken Salad!
Why You’ll Love This Waldorf Chicken Salad
- The perfect combination of sweet and savory!
- An American classic lightened up but with less fat and more protein!
- Super simple and easy to make. Ready in just 20 minutes!
- A great recipe made with simple ingredients!
- So many different ways to enjoy this simple salad! Over a bed of lettuce, on a croissant, in a wrap, on top of rice cakes, etc.
- Light mayonnaise
- Greek yogurt
- Lemon juice
- Sugar
- Chicken – you can use any kind of cooked chicken! I love using my LFF Basic Shredded Chicken recipe but rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, leftover chicken, etc. works!
- Apple
- Grapes
- Celery
- Red onion
- Pecans – glazed or regular pecans
- Mixed Greens
There are so many easy and fun ways to switch up this chicken salad!
- Use turkey instead of chicken! Use up leftover turkey or ham instead of chicken.
- Make it nut free! You can totally omit the pecans (or use a different nut) if you need to make this recipe nut-free.
- Add extra veggies! Want more volume? Add extra fruits and veggies like broccoli, carrots, strawberries, cranberries, etc.
- Dairy-free: need to make this chicken salad dairy-free? Easy! Just swap the greek yogurt for dairy-free greek yogurt.
- Don’t like mayo? Easily swap the mayo for more greek yogurt (or use all mayo if you prefer!).
How To Make
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!
1. Start by washing & preparing the produce. I used the small dicer on my vegetable chopper for the apple, celery and red onion so they were even and to save time. Add to large bowl.
2. Mix together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Add the dressing and toss everything to evenly coat.
4. Then toss in the mixed greens. Taste and add any extra salt, sugar, lemon juice, mayo, etc to taste. Serve in a croissant with mixed greens underneath (or bread of choice) and enjoy!
Meal Prep Tip!
If you’re making this waldorf chicken salad for meal prep, you can omit adding the greens and add them right before serving so they don’t get soggy!
Why is it called a waldorf salad?
The Waldorf salad, originally a simple apple-celery-mayo combo, was introduced at a charity ball upon the opening on the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City in 1893. The salad (now modified) is still served at the hotel today. The Waldorf Astoria hotel reports over 20,000 are served each year.
Can I prep this waldorf chicken salad recipe in advance?
Yes, this is a great recipes (like most chicken salad recipes) to make in advance for meal prep! I do recommend leaving out the mixed greens from the chicken salad mixture until ready to serve to help prevent them from getting soggy. Just store your chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge and mix in the greens right before serving over bed of fresh lettuce or on a croissant (or bread) of choice.
Is this classic waldorf salad recipe healthy?
Yes, this chicken salad recipe is healthy with fruits, vegetables and lean protein. This recipe is lightened up from most classic recipes because it uses a combination of plain nonfat greek yogurt and light mayonnaise to help reduce fat and increase protein while still keeping that classic creamy dressing you want! It also uses lean chicken breast and has lots of fruits and veggies to increase volume. You can keep this salad low carb by serving over a bed of lettuce or serve with your favorite high protein bread!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Healthy Waldorf Salad
Ingredients
For The Dressing:
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise (120g)
- 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (120g)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp each: salt and sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
For The Salad:
- 4 cups cooked shredded rotisserie chicken (500g)
- 1 medium red apple (160g) finely diced
- 1 cup red grapes (150g) halved
- 1 cup celery (130g) finely diced
- 1/4 cup red onions (60g) finely diced
- 1/2 cup glazed or regular pecans (56g) roughly chopped
- 3 cups mixed greens
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Instructions
- Start by washing and preparing the produce. I used the small dicer on my vegetable chopper for the apple, celery, and red onion so they were even and to save time.
- Mix together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, add the chicken, apples, grapes, celery, red onions and pecans.
- Add the dressing and toss everything to evenly coat.
- Then toss in the mixed greens*.
- Taste and add any extra salt, sugar, lemon juice, mayo, etc to taste. Serve in a croissant with mixed greens underneath (or bread of choice) and enjoy!
Equipment
- Vegetable chopper optional
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
