Bethenny Frankel is taking her viral chicken salad Olympics to the next level.
The “Real Housewives of New York City” alum officially kicks off the “Chicken Salad Olympics: Professional Chef Edition,” where she takes on culinary heavyweights including Bobby Flay, Martha Stewart, Giada De Laurentiis, Cat Cora, Michael Symon and more to compete for the coveted – and completely unofficial – Chicken Salad Gold Trophy.
“Chicken Salad Breaking News: The Professional Chef Edition of the Chicken Salad Olympics,” Frankel announced in an Instagram video on Wednesday.
The reality TV star and entrepreneur, who has spent the past year on social media sampling and ranking chicken salads from delis and markets across the country, jokingly called on some of the biggest names in the food industry to prove their skills.
“Bobby Flay, I’m here on your show ‘Slowdown!’ It’s time to really throw yourself in,” she said. “Giada, it’s called chicken in Italian.”
Frankel, 55, also took aim at Sag Harbor Tavern’s Scott Conant, Sam Talbot and Billy Derney, and brought up Martha Stewart as a potential contender.
“In a time of so much stress and sensitivity, my sense of humor is to place the utmost importance and severity on something that has no vested interest,” Frankel exclusively told Page Six.
“Iron Chefs who vowed never to compete again are coming out of retirement for this very important global event. May the best chef win!!”
The Skinny Girl founder also reflected on how her playful obsession with chicken salad unexpectedly turned into a culinary movement.
“When I first talked about chicken salad, chicken salad was to die for,” she says. “Now it’s a modernized, popular gourmet market and deli staple. The title of queen of chicken salad is a heavy one…but someone has to wear it.”
What started as one of Frankel’s signature social media series quickly evolved into a real-time competition, with several notable chefs already taking on the challenge.
Within hours of her post, Kat Cora, Sam Talbot, Rocco DiSpirito, and Billy Derney all jumped into the comments section to officially embrace it and pay tribute to the woman many are now calling the “Queen of Chicken Salad.”
As Frankel said, “Your body, your chicken, your choice.”
