The first bite of a great sandwich is one of the most magical experiences you can have. When the bread is just right, the fillings complement each other, and there is just enough sauce, a simple sandwich becomes a culinary masterpiece.
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I spent a long time perfecting this chicken salad sandwich recipe. I thought about the first bite and how it makes you feel. I considered the bread and the garnish because I love chicken salad sandwiches, and I wanted to make the best one I could.
When you bite into this sandwich, you immediately get hit with a little pop of onion, a touch of sweetness from the carrot, freshness from the celery, and creaminess from the mayonnaise. It is everything you could want from a chicken salad sandwich and more. And I'm very excited to share it with you.
The Best Bread For Chicken Salad Sandwiches
When it comes to the best bread for chicken salad sandwiches, there is no hard and fast rule. However, chicken salad has a mild flavour, so bread with a strong flavour would overpower it.
- Flavour: For my chicken salad, I prefer just regular white or sourdough bread. I typically use Promise Gluten-Free Bread or Little Northern Bakehouse Gluten-Free Bread, but any kind of natural-flavoured bread will do. If you're curious about gluten-free options, check out my guide to the best gluten-free bread.
- Texture: Also, keep in mind the texture of the bread. With 'salad' fillings like chicken and egg salad, you don't typically want a hard bread like a baguette because when you bite into it, the filling will shoot out the back. Stick with a nice soft white or sourdough bread.
Ingredients
There are no limits to what you can put in chicken salad for a sandwich. To demonstrate this, I've included a list below of some of the ingredients I've personally seen in chicken salad sandwiches, not including the ingredients in this recipe:
- Grapes, Apples, Raisins, Dried Cranberries
- Ham, Bacon, Hardboiled Eggs
- Avocado, Cheese
- Pesto, Fresh Herbs
- Lettuce, Arugula, Spinach
- Artichoke Hearts, Roasted Red Peppers, Olives, Pickles
- Curry Powder
- Pecans, Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds
The point is that you can make a chicken salad sandwich as simple or complex as you want. Truth be told, simply mixing chicken with salt, pepper, and mayonnaise and spreading it on bread can be amazing if the ratio of chicken to mayo is right.
Keeping It Simple But Flavourful
As great as that simple recipe can be, I prefer a little more complexity. Just not too much. So, for my best chicken salad recipe, I include only three additional ingredients. They are onion, carrot, and celery.
Typically, I use yellow onion, minced carrot and minced celery. However, red, white or green onion and celery leaves or seeds would also work.
- The onions add a little spiciness and bite.
- The carrot adds a pop of sweetness.
- The celery adds a fresh, herby flavour.
All of this is to complement the flavour of the chicken without overpowering it. I prefer to mince my vegetables. However, you can grate them on a cheese grater if you'd like, as I demonstrated in my Deviled Egg Salad Sandwich recipe post.
If you love jazzing up your condiments, try one of my seven flavoured mayonnaise recipes in place of plain mayo for an extra flavour boost.
Choosing the Chicken
The best chicken for chicken salad sandwiches is leftover whole-roasted or rotisserie chicken. These have more flavour and moisture than boneless, skinless chicken breast. Plus, why buy and cook boneless chicken breast just to make a sandwich? It's expensive.
In the pictures below, I've taken the breast off a leftover roasted chicken and diced it up. Truth be told, I prefer pulling the chicken meat rather than chopping it. It gives the chicken salad sandwich a better texture. When I was doing this, I got a little knife-happy, having just minced all the vegetables.
White or Dark Meat For A Chicken Salad Sandwich?
This recipe uses chicken breast, which is white meat, but honestly, adding some dark meat to the white meat will add more flavour and moisture.
- So, I recommend using 50/50 white and dark meat.
- You can use all dark meat if you'd like, but I find that chicken salad sometimes feels a bit greasy.
What about the skin?
For the skin, you can leave it on or take it off. One thing I love to do is take the chicken skin off and roast it for another 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees F or until it is crispy. Then let it cool down, chop it up and add that to the chicken. It adds a lot of flavour and texture.
Making The Best Chicken Salad
There isn't much to making this chicken salad.
- Put the chicken, vegetables, and mayonnaise in a bowl.
- Mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
If you are really ambitious, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for an hour before making your sandwiches. This will give the flavours time to blend together. If you do put it in the fridge first, taste and season it again before making your sandwiches.
Should You Butter the Bread for a Sandwich?
Butter is an optional ingredient here, but it isn't really. If you aren't spreading mayonnaise or mustard on the bread when making a sandwich, you should butter it.
Butter adds a lot of flavour to the sandwich, helps the bread hold its integrity, and prevents the bread from drying when you bite into it. Make sure the butter is at room temperature and spread it to every edge. Take your time and make sure that no dry bread is showing. It is worth the effort.
Assembling The Sandwiches
If you need a tutorial about how to make a sandwich, you may have some issues beyond the scope of this blog. But let's go through it nonetheless.
- Get your bread.
- Spread your butter to the edges of it.
- Put the chicken salad on one side.
- Top it with the other piece of bread.
- Cut it.
One tip that makes a real difference: let the chicken salad come to room temperature before assembling. Cold chicken salad straight from the fridge can make soft bread feel soggy. About 10 minutes on the counter is all it takes. And if you're packing this for lunch, wrap each half tightly in parchment paper to keep everything together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does chicken salad last in the fridge?
Chicken salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. After that, the mayonnaise can start to break down and the vegetables lose their crunch. For the best results, make only as much as you plan to eat within a day or two. If you're meal prepping, store the chicken salad separately and assemble your sandwiches fresh each day.
Can I use canned chicken for chicken salad sandwiches?
You can, but the flavour and texture won't be the same. Canned chicken tends to be drier and more uniform in texture. Leftover rotisserie or roasted chicken is the best choice because it has more moisture and flavour from the roasting process. If canned chicken is all you have, drain it well and consider adding an extra tablespoon of mayonnaise to compensate for the drier texture.
What can I use instead of mayonnaise in chicken salad?
Greek yogurt is the most popular substitute and adds a nice tang. You can also use mashed avocado for a creamy, dairy-free option, or a combination of sour cream and a squeeze of lemon juice. Each substitute changes the flavour profile slightly, so taste and adjust your seasoning accordingly. If you want to stick with mayonnaise but add variety, try one of my seven flavoured mayonnaise recipes instead.
Why This Is My Favourite Chicken Salad
This chicken salad is everything I want in a sandwich: the flavour of the chicken is complemented rather than hidden, with a bit of bite from the onion, sweetness from the carrot, freshness from the celery, and creaminess from the mayonnaise. It is the kind of recipe I come back to every single week, and I never get tired of it.
If you give this chicken salad a try, I'd love to hear what you think. And if you're looking for more sandwich inspiration, check out my Best Ever Chicken Sandwich or my Cuban Sandwich, which is another favourite of mine.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pieces White Bread
- 1 cup chicken, cooked and diced or pulled
- 1 tablespoon onion
- 1 tablespoon celery or ½ teaspoon celery seed
- 1 tablespoon carrot
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup softened butter
Instructions
- Mince or grate the onion, carrot and celery and add them to a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the diced chicken, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Spread the butter onto four slices of bread. Put half the chicken salad on two pieces of bread. Top with the other pieces of bread, cut in half and serve.
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