- Originally created in the late 1800s
at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City,
the Waldorf salad
is a classic fruit and nut salad.
It's especially popular
around the holidays
and often shows up on
Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables.
But I also love to serve it up
in the summertime
because it's just a simple
and refreshing salad.
You've got crisp apples, celery, and grapes,
crunchy walnuts,
and a creamy dressing
that's both tangy and sweet.
Now there are many ways
that you can adapt and customize
this Waldorf salad
to your personal preferences
including using dried fruit
and diced chicken to beef it up.
And I'll show you a few ideas
in the video.
So let's get started.
The first thing you'll wanna do is toast
one cup of walnuts or pecans.
You can toast them
in the oven or on the stove
for just a couple of minutes
until they get just a little bit of color
and that nice toasted smell.
And trust me, toasting the nuts
adds so much flavor to a simple salad.
So don't skip this step.
And you wanna toast them first
so that they've had time to fully cool
before adding them to the salad.
It seems everyone has a slightly different take
on the dressing for a Waldorf salad.
And while the original was simple mayonnaise,
I prefer a mayo-yogurt combination
for a creamier texture.
So add three tablespoons of mayonnaise to a bowl
along with three tablespoons of thick Greek yogurt.
And you can use dairy or dairy free.
One teaspoon of honey
and one tablespoon of lemon juice.
Give that a stir
and then set it to the side
or in the fridge
while you continue to prep
the other ingredients.
In terms of produce for this salad,
you'll need one cup of diced celery,
which is usually about two ribs of celery.
I chop mine in half
and then cut the thinner end
of the celery straight across.
For the wider end of the celery,
I'll cut those pieces in half lengthwise first
and then across for more bite sized pieces.
Now, as I mentioned previously,
the original Waldorf salad
had just simple mayonnaise
for the dressing
and that was combined
with only celery and apples.
That was it.
But over the years,
other ingredients like grapes and nuts
have been added into the classic Waldorf salad.
And I'm so glad they have
because they add a little something extra
that's both sweet and crunchy.
You'll need about a cup of grapes
and you don't really have to measure them out,
you can just eyeball it.
And as you can see today,
I'm slightly over.
But the more grapes,
the better in my opinion.
I'm also using red grapes.
But if you'd like to use green grapes
for a stylishly monochromatic salad,
you can do that as well.
Just slice the grapes in half
and set them aside.
Next, you'll need two apples.
And I prefer Granny Smith apples
as they're firm and tart,
which is balanced by the sweet grapes
and creamy dressing.
Firm apples will also hold up better over time
if you plan to meal prep this salad.
And it does make
for one great meal prep salad for the week,
especially if you add diced chicken,
which I'll get to in a minute.
At this point,
your nuts should be cooled.
But if they're not 100% cooled,
pop them in the fridge for a few minutes.
You don't want any residual heat in the nuts
because, otherwise, they'll melt the dressing
and make it a bit watery.
I just give them a rough chop
as I like some bigger pieces
in the salad,
but you can chop them
as rough or as fine as you'd like.
To assemble the salad,
add the diced apples to a large mixing bowl
along with the diced celery,
the halved grapes,
the chopped walnuts,
and two tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
for a little extra herby flavor.
You know I love my freshly chopped herbs.
Add a half a teaspoon of kosher salt,
then pour in the dressing
and stir the salad together
until everything is all nice and creamy.
I like to transfer the Waldorf salad
into a beautiful serving bowl for the holidays.
And this salad makes
for a great side salad to accompany
some meatier mains
like my roasted turkey,
or prime rib,
or beef tenderloin
as it's light and fresh.
But it's also common to serve Waldorf salad
on top of some bibb or butter lettuce leaves.
If you want a light lunch
or refreshing afternoon snack,
this is a great way to go.
And I'll enjoy a quick bite
of this salad as is because,
well, it's in front of me and I'm hungry.
But don't go anywhere
because this isn't the final bite shot.
I'll now show you how to make the ultimate
Waldorf chicken salad,
which elevates the Waldorf salad
from a side dish or appetizer
to a full hearty meal
all on its own.
To bake the chicken,
I'm making my herb baked chicken recipe,
which you can find on my website.
After preheating the oven
to 425 degrees Fahrenheit,
all you've gotta do is combine
half a teaspoon each of garlic powder,
dried basil, dried thyme, and dried oregano
along with some kosher salt and black pepper.
Stir that together,
then add two boneless, skinless chicken breasts
to a small baking dish.
Drizzle a little olive oil or avocado oil on top.
Rub that in with your hands.
Then sprinkle the herb seasoning on both sides.
Again, rubbing it in with your hands.
Bake the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes,
depending on the size of your chicken breasts,
then let the chicken cool completely.
Again, you'll wanna make sure
it's fully cooled
before adding it to the salad.
So I'll also pop it into the fridge
for about 15 to 20 minutes
to make sure it's 100% cooled.
Then all you have to do
is just slice and dice the chicken up
in two bite sized pieces.
And I think you're really gonna love
how the herbs on the chicken
add great flavor to the salad as well.
Another way you can enhance the salad
is to add dried fruits and seeds.
Dried cranberries or raisins
are great for the holidays.
And I always love to add pepitas
or sunflower seeds
for extra crunch and nutrients.
Essentially, you can just add a bunch of things
to this salad without going wrong.
So do have fun with it.
I'll add one diced chicken breast,
some dried cranberries and pepitas today.
Then give it another stir.
It's also fun to serve up individual portions
in mini bowls that are adorned
with a butter lettuce leaf.
I think it probably goes without saying,
but this is one mighty fine tasting
Waldorf chicken salad
and I'm now super happy
to have this batch to enjoy
for the rest of the week.