New Waldorf Chicken Salad
Waldorf chicken salad with poached chicken breast, crisp red apples, toasted pecans, and a tangy yogurt-mustard dressing. A lighter take on the classic with three built-in variations.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
60 minThis Waldorf chicken salad starts with properly poached chicken breasts, and that makes all the difference. Simmering them gently in water with peppercorns, bay leaf, and garlic keeps the meat juicy and subtly seasoned instead of dry and bland like boiled chicken tends to be.
The dressing lightens up the traditional mayo-heavy approach by splitting the base between plain yogurt and light mayonnaise, then sharpening it with Dijon mustard and fresh lemon juice. You get that creamy coating without the heaviness, and the tang plays well against the sweet crunch of red apples and toasted pecans.
Cut everything into uniform half-inch cubes. This isn’t just about looks. Even-sized pieces mean every forkful gets chicken, apple, and pecan in one bite instead of chasing ingredients around the bowl.
Pro Tips
- Poach the chicken at a bare simmer, not a rolling boil. Small bubbles that don’t break the surface keep the breast tender. A hard boil toughens the outer layer.
- Chill the chicken completely before cubing. Warm chicken shreds apart when you try to dice it, and it wilts the other ingredients when you toss the salad.
- Leave the apple skin on for color and crunch, but toss the cubes in a squeeze of lemon juice right after cutting to prevent browning.
Variations
- Classic style: Replace apples with chopped carrot and red pepper, skip the pecans, and swap parsley for fresh basil in the dressing.
- Curried version: Drop the apples and pecans, add red pepper and currants, then season the dressing with curry powder, cumin, ginger, and fresh coriander. Top with toasted almond slices.
Ingredients
Directions
- In large shallow saucepan, pour in water to depth of 2 inches; Heat over medium heat until simmering (small bubbles form but do not break surface of water).
- Add chicken to pan in single layer, meaty side down; cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate; let cool in refrigerator for about 1 hour or until chilled. [Chicken can be covered and stored for up to 4 hours.]
- Dressing: in small bowl, whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley, lemon juice, mustard and pepper. (Dressing can be covered and refrigerated for up to 8 hours.]
- Meanwhile, thinly slice onions and celery. Pull off skin from chicken. Pressing small paring knife against bone, cut off each breast to remove in 1 piece. Cut lengthwise into ½-inch wide strips; cut crosswise into ½- inch cubes.
- One apple at a time, slice off 1 side close to core; repeat 3 more times. Layer each piece cut side down; cut in half horizontally. Holding layers together, cut into ½-inch wide strips; cut crosswise into ½-inch cubes.
- In large bowl, combine chicken, green onions, celery, apples and pecans. Add dressing and stir gently to coat well. Variations: New Classic Chicken Salad: Replace apples with 1 carrot and half a sweet red pepper, chopped; omit pecans. Dressing: Replace parsley with 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil; omit lemon juice. Curried Chicken Salad: Omit apples and pecans. Add half a sweet red pepper, chopped, and ¼ cup currants; sprinkle salad with ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds. Dressing: Omit parsley and mustard. Add 3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander, ¾ teaspoons curry powder, ¼ teaspoons each ground cumin and ginger, and a pinch of salt.
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