The Unfussy Cook

  • Recipes
  • Sign Up
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Sign Up
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Sign Up
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    • a slice of peanut butter pie with whipped cream on the edge and sprinkled with chocolate shavings and chopped peanuts all with chocolate syrup drizzled over the top and down the sides
      Easy, Dreamy Peanut Butter Pie with Oreo Crust
    • an oreo cookie crust in a pie dish filled with a creamy pie filling
      No-Bake Oreo Cookie Pie Crust
    • A bread bowl filled with mississippi sin dip, surrounded by assorted crackers for dipping
      Heavenly Mississippi Sin Dip
    • classic spinach dip in a bread bowl with bread pieces on the side for dipping all sitting on a wood surface
      Classic Spinach Dip - 1982 Recipe
    • an overhead shot of a quiche made of diced ham, diced pimentos and cheddar cheese baked in a cast iron skillet
      Easy Ham and Pimento Cheese Quiche Recipe
    • smoked salmon dip in a white bowl garnished with fresh dill lemon slice and capers on a blue cloth with a fish design
      Smoked Salmon Dip and Spread
    • spaghetti carbonara in a white bowl garnished with chopped parsley and shredded romano cheese
      Authentic Spaghetti Carbonara - Quick and Easy
    • creamed eggs on toast garnished with bacon bits and slices of bacon on the side
      Creamed Eggs on Toast - A Breakfast Classic
    • slugburger on a bun with pickles and onion with the top bun in the back has mustard on it and more pickles on the side and a glass of beer next to the plate
      Slugburger - The Original Version
    • white chunk macadamia nut cookies on an aqua blue placement
      White Chunk Macadamia Nut Cookies
    • a pork burger on a bun dressed with roasted peppers, feta cheese, tomato, dill pickle slices onion and lettuce all on a plate
      Chipotle-Spiced Grilled Pork Burgers
    • marry-me-chicken-creamy-spicy-chicken
      Creamy, Spicy Chicken Pasta
    Home » Salads

    Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad

    Published: Jan 24, 2022 · Modified: Oct 20, 2023 by Becky Thames-Simmons · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Try this twist on chicken-salad-meets-Waldorf-Salad! The little bit of curry adds sweet and savory flavor, and the touch of earthy turmeric in the dressing wraps everything in a golden-yellow hue.

    curried chicken waldorf salad in a bowl
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases when you purchase using the links on this page. It doesn't increase the price of the items for you, and it helps me cover the costs of bringing great recipes to you.

    The first time I ever tried a Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad recipe was at The Walnut Room inside the original Marshall Fields department store on State Street in Chicago, and I was hooked. And it's so simple to make, I recreated it and developed my own curried chicken Waldorf salad. The little bit of curry adds sweet and savory flavor, and the touch of earthy turmeric in the dressing wraps everything in a golden-yellow hue.

    If you've ever made Waldorf salad, you know how easy it is. But add chicken and a touch of Indian spices, and the traditional Waldorf salad is promoted to a whole new level of flavor!

    History of Waldorf Salad

    Invented in 1896, classic Waldorf salad is named for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Only apples, celery and mayonnaise were the original ingredients.. Nuts were added later, as were other ingredients.

    Beyond the two classic recipes

    This recipe combines the best of both worlds using the chicken salad recipe and the classic Waldorf Salad recipe. Then it expands on them by adding curry and and hint of turmeric. You might even say it combines a curry chicken salad recipe with Waldorf salad.

    Can you add grapes to this salad?

    Yes, you sure can. While it's not original to the original recipe for Waldorf Salad, grapes are a very common add-in, and they would taste great in this Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad. I opted to add raisins instead, because I think they add a nice sweet note to the salad. I didn't add grapes because I feel it already has plenty of ingredients.

    Tips for making Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad

    My only suggestion: Prep the apples last and immediately toss them in the chicken and dressing mixture. This will prevent unnecessary browning. Alternatively, you can mist them with lemon juice to prevent browning.


    Hungry for more salad recipes?

    If you enjoyed this Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad recipe, you may also enjoy trying this Classic Pea Salad from a 1950's recipes that's been updated for the 21st century. Another favorite is the Costa Rica Tuna and Pasta Shells Salad, for a taste of Latin America.


    A fan favorite recipe here at The Unfussy Cook is Grilled Shrimp with Old Bay seasoning - give it a whirl, I just know you're going to love it!

    📖 Recipe

    curried chicken waldorf salad in a bowl

    Curry Chicken Waldorf Salad

     Chicken and a touch of Indian spices transform the traditional Waldorf salad to a whole new level of flavor!
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes
    Rate and Comment
    Course: Dinner, Drinks, Lunch, Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 388kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    The Dressing

    • ½ cup mayonnaise
    • 1 tablespoon orange juice
    • 1 teaspoon curry powder
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt

    The Salad

    • 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
    • ½ cup chopped walnuts toasted
    • ½ cup thinly-sliced celery
    • ⅔ cup raisins regular dark, golden, or a mix
    • 1½ cups chopped Red Delicious apple peel on, cored and cut into ½-inch bites

    Instructions

    • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, orange juice, curry, turmeric and salt until smooth.
    • In a saucepan, cover the chicken with water and cook over medium heat until the chicken is done throughout, about 165-170° internal temperature. Remove from the water and cool it in the refrigerator.
    • Once the chicken has cooled, remove all visible fat, then cut the chicken into ½-inch or so pieces. Place in a medium-large mixing bowl, add the dressing and toss until the chicken is well coated.
    • Toast the walnuts in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, flipping frequently so they don't burn. Set them aside to cool just a bit.
    • Prep the celery and set aside.
    • Leaving the skin on the apples for color, cut them into ½-inch or so pieces. Immediately add them to the chicken and toss until they coated in dressing, to prevent browning.
    • Now add the walnuts, raisings and celery, toss again to coat everything, and chill the salad for at least an hour. The longer the salad sets, the more the dressing will bloom and flavor the chicken and veggies.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 388kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 311mg | Potassium: 667mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 112IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

    More recipes

    • italian dressing in a jar with lettuce tomato and a cruet
      Italian Dressing with Parmesan Cheese
    • rotini pasta broccoli cauliflower pepperoni pepper jack artichoke hearts italian dressing
      Italian Pasta Salad
    • mexican street corn salad in a bowl with a wooden spoon and lime wedges
      Mexican Street Corn Salad
    • classic pea salad in a bowl garnished with bacon and hard boiled egg
      Classic Pea Salad with Bacon - 1950's Recipe

    Comments

    No Comments

    5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

    Did you make this recipe? Share your thoughts! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    a woman standing at a kitchen island with a cutting board of chopped vegetables in front of her

    Hi, I'm Becky! Follow along with me as I share all my family's favorite recipes along with new really great new ones. I'm happily retired and staying busy in my kitchen to bring you the best recipes for unfussy time in your kitchen..

    More about me →

    Newest recipes!

    • a slice of peanut butter pie with whipped cream on the edge and sprinkled with chocolate shavings and chopped peanuts all with chocolate syrup drizzled over the top and down the sides
      Easy, Dreamy Peanut Butter Pie with Oreo Crust
    • an oreo cookie crust in a pie dish filled with a creamy pie filling
      No-Bake Oreo Cookie Pie Crust
    • A bread bowl filled with mississippi sin dip, surrounded by assorted crackers for dipping
      Heavenly Mississippi Sin Dip
    • classic spinach dip in a bread bowl with bread pieces on the side for dipping all sitting on a wood surface
      Classic Spinach Dip - 1982 Recipe
    • an overhead shot of a quiche made of diced ham, diced pimentos and cheddar cheese baked in a cast iron skillet
      Easy Ham and Pimento Cheese Quiche Recipe

    [convertkit form=5294486]

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
    Success! Thank you for subscribing to The Unfussy Cook

    Join the Unfussy Crowd!

    I promise I won't flood your inbox.

    the unfussy cook logo
    Legal
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Disclaimer
    • Imprint
    Newsletter
    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    Contact
    • About
    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases when you use the links on this website. It doesn't increase the price of the items for you, and it helps me cover the costs of bringing great recipes to you.

    DMCA.com Protection Status

    Copyright © 2025 The Unfussy Cook

    Manage Cookie Consent
    To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Choose  non-consent by closing this notice with the X in the upper right corner.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    Manage Consent
    To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}

    Rate this Recipe!

    Your vote:




    Let me know how this recipe turned out for you!

    This worked exactly as written, thanks!
    We loved this!
    Thank you for sharing this recipe

    Or write in your own words:

    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.