I’ve attended many luncheons where a chicken salad was served, many times a variation of a Waldorf salad. One day, I found myself going down an internet rabbit hole researching the origins of the Waldorf salad. Turns out the salad comes from the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in NYC, and traditionally in made with walnuts and a simple mayonnaise-lemon juice dressing. My husband is not crazy about walnuts so I swapped then for candied pecans (my grocery store sells Emerald brand), which was delightful because it held its crunch in transit. I also swapped the lemon juice for orange juice, so that it would keep the citrus notes, but would be sweet rather than tart. -C

Waldorf Chicken Salad for Croissant Sandwiches

Ingredients:
For the dressing:
6 oz. mayonnaise
3 T. fresh orange juice
½ t. salt
½ t. pepper

For the chicken salad:
3 cups roasted chicken breast, cubed
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup candied pecans, such as Emerald brand
1 cup cubed gala apple
1 cup red seedless grapes, quartered
¼ cup thinly sliced scallion

For the sandwich assembly:
Lettuce spring mix
8 of your favorite bakery’s large croissants

Directions:
1. Weigh the mayonnaise in a bowl on a scale, whisk together with orange juice, salt, and pepper until smooth.
2. Mix the dressing together with the ingredients for the chicken salad.
3. Slice the croissants in half, separating top from bottom. You may, if you wish, scoop out a bit of the inner croissant to make room for the salad filling. Add a layer of the spring mix lettuce and a big spoonful of the Waldorf chicken salad.

Notes:
Wrap the sandwiches individually in parchment for transport to the picnic or beach. Alternatively, pre-slice the croissants, and pack the lettuce and Waldorf chicken salad with ice pack separately and assemble on site.

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