Crunchy apples, celery and toasted pecans in a creamy lemon dressing made with Greek yogurt and a little mayo. My Waldorf chicken salad takes 20 minutes with rotisserie chicken, no cooking required, and it gets even better after a night in the fridge.
Each serving is 241 calories with 25.7 grams of protein, and the recipe makes 5 servings for a week of lunches. Pile it on crackers, rice cakes or lettuce wraps, or toss it with chopped kale for a big green salad.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Waldorf Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
- Ready In: 20 minutes
- Serves: 5 servings
- Calories: 241 cal
- Protein: 25.7g
- Fat: 10g
- Carbs: 12g
- Why You'll Love It: This macro-friendly Waldorf Chicken Salad is a lightened-up take on the classic. It has all the creamy crunch you love—just with better macros. It's packed with lean protein, fiber-rich apples and celery, and crunchy pecans. This chicken salad recipe is fresh, satisfying, and perfect for meal prep.
Before You Start Cooking
- Give rotisserie chicken a quick sear. If you’re using Costco’s rotisserie breast meat, pick through it, chop it, then toss it in a hot pan for about a minute with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder. Keep it quick, or it starts tasting like reheated chicken.
- Chop everything small. Small, even pieces of apple, celery and onion give you crunch in every bite.
- Toast the pecans. A few minutes in a dry skillet makes them so much more flavorful.
- Celery is about 2 cups chopped. A few readers asked about this one. Go by the 208 grams in the recipe card if you have a scale.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Parsley: I originally wrote this with 1 cup, and a few of you said that was too strong, so it’s now ¼ cup. Some readers love the extra parsley, so follow your heart.
- No grapes: I skipped them because I make this for meal prep, and grapes get squishy as they sit. Swap some in for part of the apple if you love them. The macros stay about the same.
- Vinegar: I love Baker and Olive’s lemon-infused balsamic here. Apple cider vinegar works great too.
- Mayo: I use avocado mayo with 5 grams of fat per tablespoon.
It’s naturally gluten-free. For dairy-free, use a dairy-free sour cream or yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt.
How to Make Waldorf Chicken Salad
- Combine the salad. Add the chicken, apple, celery, red onion, parsley and pecans to a large bowl.
- Make the dressing. Whisk the Greek yogurt, mayo, vinegar, lemon juice, poppy seeds, salt and pepper.
- Toss and chill. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Eat it right away or keep it in the fridge for the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it keep?
About 4 days in an airtight container. The apples hold their crunch, and skipping grapes is part of why it preps so well.
Can I use turkey instead of chicken?
Yes. One reader used diced deli turkey breast with grapes and fresh basil and loved it.
Do I need the poppy seeds?
No, they’re optional. Readers have skipped them and still loved the dressing.
How to Serve Waldorf Chicken Salad
We love it on crackers, on rice cakes and in lettuce wraps. It’s also great tossed with finely chopped kale and a drizzle of olive oil or extra lemon for a bigger salad. For a full lunch spread, add my berry and goat cheese salad on the side.
If you want lunches and dinners planned out for you, my meal plans do the planning and the macros every week.
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Waldorf Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 3 cups shredded or chopped chicken breast (454g)
- 1 large apple diced (210g)
- 2 cups celery chopped (208g)
- 1/4 red onion diced small (50g)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped (10g – edited from the original 30g)
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans chopped (30g)
For the Dressing
- 3 Tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt or dairy-free sour cream/yogurt (45g)
- 3 Tbsp lite mayo (45g)
- 2 Tbsp clear balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar I love lemon infused by Baker and Olive (30g)
- 1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon (30g)
- 1/2 tsp poppy seeds (optional)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over the top. Toss well!
- Enjoy immediately or stash in the fridge for your week’s meal prep. We love this with crackers, on rice cakes, in lettuce wraps, or tossed in a bowl with finely chopped kale for a big green salad! Just drizzle a little olive oil, or additional lemon or good vinegar and give it a good toss!
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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I would like to make this recipe, but I’m confused by the amount of celery. The recipe says 8 celery, chopped. Is that 8 stalks of celery?
Please share how you use the peach and lemon balsamic vinegars! In more recipes
This chicken salad is incredible! You might be leery of some of the ingredients and flavors, but let me tell you! Do not be! Make it! I used leftover teriyaki bine in chicken thigh meat and added a cucumber chopped up like I chopped the orange pepper. My husband and I absolutely loved this! I used a romaine leaf as a wrap one day and then put it over my salad the next day. It is super clean and refreshing to eat. My new go to chicken salad! Blows away Willow Tree all day long!!
Oh my word!! Amazing!! I’ll be making this again and again. Thank you!
I lOVED this recipe!! I was a little skeptical about the dressing and the amount of celery. But followed this recipe exactly (no poppy seeds) and was pleasantly surprised how good it is. The volume you can eat is also just perfect and filling. A keeper for sure
This recipe is SO tasty. I used Kirkland deli turkey (they sell whole turkey breasts! Perfect for dicing.) grapes and basil for substitutes and it turned out amazing. The fresh herbs take it up a notch.
Would be good with less parsley. My family could hardly eat it because it was so overpowering. I think next time if I put 1/4 the amount it would come out perfect!!
This is a great recipe. The parsley is my favorite part. Highly recommend. Thanks for the great recipe!
My favoRite chicken salad. So fresh
I made this for a ladie’s lunch because I wanted something simple and light. This was exactly what I was after and it was devoured and everyone asked for the recipe. Do yourself a favor and make it!
Eat this almost every week. Our fav!
Is 1 cup of parsley correct?
Delicious – especially with the lemon vinegar!
So so so yummy!! As always!! It was nice and fresh and filling! We ate with lettuce craps and the kids used bread!
Can you please add sodium to your nutrition facts?
Soooo good! Everything according to recipe – the only add was a tablespoon of honey for just a touch of sweet! Weekly lunch meal prep – and we enjoyed it with crackers and in pitas for multiple lunches. Thanks so much for sharing!