Waldorf Salad Croissant Sandwiches

Waldorf Salad found its start at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC.  It was actually created by a maitre d'hotel in 1896.  The original salad contained apples, celery, and mayonnaise.  Later, walnuts were added to the mix, and it is most commonly served on a bed of lettuce.  Here at our house, we prefer our Waldorf Salad as a post-Thanksgiving treat served on croissants!  

I guess I need to preface the history of this recipe with the story of the 53 pound Thanksgiving turkey.  My mom decided to buy a fresh kill, never frozen turkey for the 5 of us and some guests.  Worried that a 25 pounder would not be enough to feed us all, plus have leftovers, she asked the farm to give us the biggest turkey they could find.  53 pounds later, we were all REALLY sick and tired of turkey leftovers!  In an effort to mix things up, she suggested a new spin on Waldorf Salad to put a dent in the leftovers.  It was an immediate success and we still enjoy it, even when we don't have turkey leftovers! 

Waldorf Salad Croissant Sandwiches
Yields 6 sandwiches

To Prepare the Salad
1. Break up 2 cups worth of cold, leftover turkey or chicken into a decent size bowl.  If you don't want to use leftovers, you can substitute this with canned chicken breast (the kind that comes like tuna).  Just be sure that you strain it of as much juice as possible!
2. Chop 2 cups worth of peeled apples.  I like to use a sweet apple such as a gala or honeycrisp.  I would avoid anything in the sour family!  Add these apples to the bowl.

3. Add 1/2 a cup of Craisins, and 1/2 a cup of raisins to the bowl. Sometimes we also add 1/2 a cup of chopped walnuts, but that is usually when I have leftovers from baking!

4. Bring everything together with 3/4 cup of mayo or light mayo.

5. Serve the salad in a croissant, or if you prefer, a super hearty multi-grain wheat bread.  I like to throw a side of baked potato chips on the plate too!