A classic CHICKEN WALDORF SALAD, famous the world over!
People have been making – and raving about – this classic recipe for over a hundred years now. First introduced at New York’s famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel (click HERE to learn about the hotel), this recipe for a chicken salad with apples, grapes and walnuts truly stands the test of time.
As with all our posts, we suggest making this fabulous salad using locally sourced ingredients. If those include organic options, even better! We also bet you’ll be making this salad again and again, so let’s cut to the chase: PIN the recipe to your favourite salad board and BOOKMARK it for easy reference.
Our CHICKEN WALDORF SALAD is an awesome creation, and here’s why:
WALDORF WORKS
Much of the beauty of this legendary salad is about the unexpected collection of ingredients used to create it. Sure, it has moist and tender chicken, but how about the fresh fruit component? We love the use of red grapes and Granny Smith apples to create a tangy sweetness you’ll enjoy with every bite.
The salad also has a nice bit of crunch from raw celery, plus nuttiness from the chopped walnuts. One suggestion on the nuts is to make sure they’re freshly shelled; they taste almost buttery when they are.
MIX IT UP!
Once all of the ingredients are prepared and assembled in your mixing bowl, we like to add something unexpected: freshly chopped mint. This gives the salad an extra note of brightness and keeps the salad very refreshing.
We also like to amp up the flavour of the mayonnaise with a hint of Dijon and lemon juice. This adds a zesty tang to the mix. Expect a really fresh taste from this beautiful salad.
SERVICE PLEASE
I can just imagine how this salad was presented back in the day – white-gloved servers passing chilled plates of CHICKEN WALDORF SALAD out to New York’s finest. For us, let’s simplify things, shall we? Present the salad with a simple garnish of fresh black pepper, a sprinkle of mint and a few more chopped walnuts.
One last point on service is for all of the vegetarians out there. You can still enjoy this delicious salad without the chicken, replacing it with chopped, roasted cauliflower. We bet you’ll love it.
This recipe is especially perfect after you make the ROAST CHICKEN recipe I posted a few weeks back. This CHICKEN WALDORF SALAD will allow you to use up the leftovers and enjoy a healthy lunch in no time.
If you’d like to serve soup before this salad, try our HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP or this vegetarian CARROT ORANGE – both will pair perfectly with this.
We’ve also tested it out by sending it to school with kids. Word on the street is… they love it too!
This celebrated CHICKEN WALDORF SALAD has earned a reputation as a classic recipe, and rightly so – a classic always tastes this good!