in my kitchen | not your mama's waldorf chicken salad

one of the things that i always bring home from the market is bone-in chicken breasts. i roast it early in the week and eat off of it all week long. typically that edible consumption involves some version of chicken salad or chicken on a salad. 

but let's focus on the former, shall we?

 i love chicken salad- minus the famous waldorf. just like an omelet, i love that you can basically throw anything in it and- BOOM!- you've got yourself a tasty little protein and veggie-heavy meal. 

this particular chicken salad was no exception; i had a bunch of veggies left over from a crostata that i made that needed to be used before they spoiled. so i did. luckily, it turned out to be one of my favorite chicken salads to date. 

*it should be noted that i just don't believe in sweet chicken salads, which, is my main issue with the classic waldorf version. something about it just doesn't sit well with me. it's like a mayo-less cole slaw... it's just not okay. 

 

the what:

 two bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

two cups arugula

one small leek, white and light green parts only

two tbsp chopped cilantro

about ten or twelve yellow or red grape tomatoes, halved

two tbsp mayo (i used vegannaise)

1/2 tbsp dijon or whole grain mustard

zest and juice of one lemon

maldon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

the how: 

for the chicken:

pre-heat the oven to 375. pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. rub liberally with extra virgin olive oil and season with more salt and pepper than seems necessary. roast for 30-40 minutes until cooked through. (note: you're not going to be eating the skin so you need whatever seasoning you put onto it, to penetrate into the chicken breasts.) let rest for 10-15 minutes or until they're cool enough to handle.

for the salad:

remove the skin and shred the cooled chicken breasts. 

combine the shredded chicken with all of the other ingredients. 

serve along sliced heirloom tomatoes or on top of grilled sourdough as an open-faced sandwich. 

obviously, i went the tomato route, here.  

enjoy!