I Only Stay at The Waldorf Astoria Salad

I never really got this salad growing up. Chunks of chicken, apples, walnuts, grapes and other mystery ingredients slathered in a generous portion of mayonnaise…sounds like the precursor to what I call “Fish Tank Stomach.” When you eat something and afterwards it feels as though you’ve swallowed several tropical fishes of various species and sizes and your stomach is making what can only be called “bubbly” sounds. We all know the end to this story. Alas, I digress.

So, my mom used to buy this delicious treat from Buehler’s and since I had the honor of working at Buehler’s for two Summers, salad bar wench mind you, the idea of eating one of their mayonnaise-laden, congealed salads made me want to revert into my own body like a terrified, anti-social Box Turtle.

However, since my new found love of Greek yogurt, I think I can make this salad not only healthy, but edible. I do believe it calls for red onions; however, I find them revolting and protest their usage in any of my salads.

So here is my attempt to make this esteemed salad. A bit of history for my fellow nerds, historians and food enthusiasts, the Waldorf salad was born at the Waldorf Astoria in the late 1800’s in Manhattan. It was created by the maitre d’ of the hotel, not the chef. So clearly, it was special. The now infamous salad was named after an old, old wooden ship and is a favorite amongst celebrity New Yorkers such as 50 Cent and Barbara Bush; they have monthly dates to enjoy the salad together and discuss their common interests.

So please, serve it in a crystal dish, like the Fancy Feast commercial, and savor it whilst wearing your finest diamonds and furs, because daahhhhlings, one only stays at the Waldorf Astoria when in Manhattan ;)

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I Only Stay at the Waldorf Astoria Salad

3 chicken breasts

¼ stick of butter

1 tbsp of salt

½ cup of green grapes, chopped in halves

½ cup of red grapes, chopped in halves

1 red Gala apple, chopped into dime-size pieces

1 Golden Delicious apple, chopped into dime-size pieces

½ cup of walnuts, chopped

½ cup of Chobani Greek Yogurt

1        ounce container of Chobani Honey Greek Yogurt

1 tsp of lemon juice

1.      Chop up the grapes and apples into dime-size pieces. Place into a large mixing bowl.

2.      Either use chopped walnuts or chop whole walnuts into very small pieces and place them in the mixing bowl. Add 1tsp of lemon juice. Toss all of the ingredients together. Let the magic mixture sit while the preparing the chicken.

3.      In a large pan, let the butter melt at a low-medium heat (I used a 5 out of 10). Salt both sides of the delicious chicken breasts and then pan-sear the chicken until cooked thoroughly, and slightly golden on each side. Make sure the butter doesn’t burn, if it does, the heat is way too high and your chicken will be unhappy. Do not over-cook because you want to keep the chicken juicy.

4.      Remove the breasts from the pan and place on a paper-towel covered plate to remove any excess liquids. Let cool for 10-15. After cooled, cut the chicken into quarter-sized cubes and mix into the salad.

5.      Add in the Greek Yogurt and mix gently, making sure to evenly coat the salad. This amount is just enough to coat the salad. If you prefer your Waldorf a little saucier, well, simply add in more Greek Yogurt to meet your saucy needs.