Waldorf Chicken Salad

Waldorf Chicken Salad is as famous as it is delicious. Invented in the late 1800s, variations are all over the place. This is my variation, which is sans mayo – because mayonnaise is highly-processed and because I don’t particularly like it.  It is also sans celery because it just saves my kids tons on time if they don’t have to pick it all out – feel free to include celery in your version. Despite my longstanding lack of love for mayo (it stems from a childhood trauma that includes a mayo and cheese sandwich that stayed in the sun a little too long), I have always been willing to make an exception for Waldorf  Chicken Salad because I love the combination of well-seasoned, baked chicken with sweet grapes and apples and crunchy walnuts. This salad works very well on fresh whole wheat bread as a sandwich or on a bed of greens as a salad fitting for a main dish.

A little sweet, a little savory. A little crunchy, a little saucy. It is everything you could want in a meal. (At least everything I could want in a meal – including not having to watch my kids pick out the celery!)

Note: The amount of maple syrup in this recipe does not really make the dressing sweet  – rather it just balances the tangy nature of plain yogurt. So adjust the amount of maple based on your preference for sweetness.

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Waldorf Chicken Salad

To bake chicken: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Salt and pepper chicken well on each side and bake 25-30 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Soup, Salad & Sandwich

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Cynthia Rusincovitch

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken breasts, baked and diced into bite sized pieces
• 2 apples, cored and diced into bite sized pieces
• 2 cups seedless grapes, halved
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup Greek Yogurt, Plain
• 1/2 lime, for juicing
• 1-2 tbsp maple syrup or to taste
• 2 tbsp tarragon, dried
• kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped herbs for garnish I prefer parsley or chives!

Instructions

• Combine chicken, apples, grapes, and walnuts in a large bowl and stir to combine.
• Whisk yogurt, juice from half a lime, maple syrup, tarragon and salt and pepper in a medium bowl until the sauce is uniform. Pour sauce over chicken mixture, stir to combine. Top with fresh herbs.
• Serve with bread for sandwiches or over a bed of greens as a salad. Refrigerate any leftovers. Enjoy!