If you are looking for a healthy and simple side dish for your holiday gatherings, look no further than this appetizing Waldorf salad. With a colorful appeal and scrumptious blend of flavors, this salad encompasses a source of protein and fulfills your required daily fiber intake. It’s rich in flavor and you can throw this delectable dish together in just 10 minutes.
This rendition includes pomegranate seeds or craisins to give this salad a little Christmas color, but note these are optional. Depending on whether you would like to add a tart or sweet addition, pomegranate seeds would give this blend a zesty energy boost, while craisins would grant it a subtle sweetness. An additional advantage of this spin on the Waldorf salad is that pomegranates strengthen your immune system; paired with apple cider vinegar, this salad offers a great way to protect yourself from catching a cold this season.
Derived from the 1893 Waldorf Astoria lunchtime special, this salad is a crowd favorite that can elevate any meal or can be made as a snack. For vegan substitutions, you can trade the Greek yogurt with 4 tablespoons of plant-based yogurt and sub the mayonnaise for 2 tablespoons of tahini, a sesame-based Middle Eastern condiment.
Waldorf Salad
Ingredients
Salad Base:
- 4 Cups Rotisserie chicken (shredded)
- 1 Apple (diced)
- 2 Cups Red, seedless grapes (halved or quartered)
- 1&1/2 Cups Chopped parsley
- Handful of Walnuts (Slightly toasted)
Dressing:
- 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp Light Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Lemon Juice (1 lemon squeezed)
- 1/2 tsp Poppy seeds
- Pinch of Salt
- Pinch of Pepper
Instructions
- First, combine your dry ingredients for the salad base in a bowl and toss together.
- In a separate bowl, you can pour in the Greek yogurt base and add mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar.
- Squeeze in your lemon juice and stir together to mix.
- Next, add in poppy seeds, salt, and pepper.
- Then, pour your dressing into the salad bowl and toss together-or, store the dressing separately if serving at a later time. Bon Appetit-and Bon voyage sugary cravings!
Notes
- Yields 3-4 servings
- You can use either a Braeburn apple or a green Granny Smith apple if you want additional tones of cinnamon sweetness (Braeburn) or sour (Granny Smith)
- Of course, if you have a drug test coming up, ditch the poppy seeds
- Many people add lettuce to their Waldorf salad, but historically the Waldorf salad did not include lettuce
- Whipping cream could be used as an alternative to mayonnaise
- Lemon juice could be supplemented with a 1/2 Teaspoon of vinegar if you don’t have any lemons at home
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