Sous Vide Waldorf Chicken Salad

The Waldorf Salad was first created at the Waldorf Hotel in NYC, which later became the ever elegant Waldorf-Astoria. It’s a classy salad of apples, crunchy walnuts, celery, and a creamy mayonnaise dressing. I took inspiration from this American classic and and turned it into a full-fledged chicken salad. Sweet and tart, fresh and crisp, and meaty enough to make a satisfying meal, this Waldorf Chicken Salad is poised for a comeback. With the sous vide, you can forever banish the memory of dry, tough, over-cooked, boring chicken breast. Cooking them at the magical temperature of 60 C keeps that chicken juicy and supple in texture. Yes. Let’s bring back the dignity of skinless chicken breast.

Author

Stephanie Hua

Stephanie is a food writer, photographer, recipe tester & developer based in SF. She received her culinary arts training at the San Francisco Cooking School and is the creator of food blog, Lick My Spoon (a place for all things delicious). Her work has appeared in The Huffington Post, Fodor's Travel, PBS, Serious Eats, SF Weekly, and KQED, among others.

Prep Time: 00:15

Recipe Time: 02:00

Temperature : 140F / 60C

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound total)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup seedless red grapes
• 1 small apple, such as Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 ribs celery (1 cup small diced)
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 140ºF (60ºC).
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a large zipper lock or vacuum seal bag. Add the olive oil and seal using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the moist setting. Place in the water bath and set the timer for 2 hours.
3. About 10 minutes before the chicken is finished, prepare the salad: In a small frying pan over medium heat, toast the walnuts until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Coarsely chop and place in a large bowl.
4. Cut the grapes into halves and add to the bowl with the walnuts.
5. Core and dice the apple and toss with a spritz of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Add to the large bowl.
6. Cut the celery into a small dice. Add to the large bowl.
7. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, and mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Remove the chicken from the bag and cut into a small dice.
2. Add the chicken to the bowl with the walnut mixture. Add the mayonnaise and mix until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Serve in lettuce cups, over a green salad, or as a sandwich.