Description
This classic, creamy chicken salad sandwich is made with tender chicken, crunchy celery, and a perfectly seasoned mayo dressing. Ready in 15 minutes with simple ingredients!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chicken Salad:
- 3 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded (about 1 rotisserie chicken or 1.5 lbs chicken breast)
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise (full-fat recommended)
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced (about ¾ cup)
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced (or 3 green onions, sliced thin)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill or parsley, chopped (optional but recommended)
For Assembly:
- 8 slices bread (white, whole wheat, sourdough, or your choice)
- Butter for toasting (optional)
- 4 leaves lettuce (butter lettuce, romaine, or leaf lettuce)
- 1 large tomato, sliced (optional)
Optional Add-ins (choose your favorites):
- ½ cup red grapes, halved
- ½ cup diced apple (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: If using rotisserie chicken, remove all the meat from the bones and dice or shred it into bite-sized pieces (about ½-inch to ¾-inch chunks work best). Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl. If using raw chicken breasts, poach them first: place breasts in a pot, cover with water, add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes until cooked through (internal temp 165°F). Let cool completely before dicing.
- Prep the Vegetables: Wash and dice the celery into small, uniform pieces about ¼-inch in size. The smaller and more uniform your dice, the better the texture throughout. Finely dice the red onion (or thinly slice green onions). If using fresh herbs, chop them finely. Add all the vegetables to the bowl with the chicken.
- Make the Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined. This pre-mixing ensures the seasonings are evenly distributed.
- Combine Everything: Pour the dressing over the chicken and vegetables. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, fold everything together gently but thoroughly until all the chicken pieces are evenly coated. If you’re adding any optional ingredients like grapes, nuts, or apples, fold them in now. Be careful not to overmix, which can make the chicken mushy.
- Taste and Adjust: This is crucial! Take a small bite and assess the seasoning. Chicken salad often needs more salt than you think—add a pinch at a time until it tastes just right. Add more lemon juice if it needs brightness, or more mayo if it seems dry. The mixture should be creamy but not soupy, with everything well coated.
- Chill (Optional but Recommended): For the best flavor, cover the bowl and refrigerate the chicken salad for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. This chilling time allows all the flavors to meld together beautifully. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip this, but the salad will taste even better after resting.
- Prepare the Bread: If toasting, lightly butter both sides of each bread slice and toast in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. You can also use a toaster or toaster oven. Toasting is optional but highly recommended—it prevents the bread from getting soggy and adds delicious texture.
- Assemble the Sandwiches: Lay out 4 slices of bread. Place a lettuce leaf on each slice (this creates a barrier between the chicken salad and bread, preventing sogginess). Divide the chicken salad evenly among the 4 slices, using about ¾ to 1 cup per sandwich. Spread it evenly to the edges. Add tomato slices if using.
- Top and Serve: Place the remaining bread slices on top. Press down very gently. Cut each sandwich diagonally (this is the official proper way to serve a chicken salad sandwich—it just tastes better this way!). Serve immediately, or wrap tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper for packed lunches.
- Alternative Serving Ideas: Instead of sandwiches, try serving the chicken salad on croissants, in pita pockets, on crisp lettuce leaves for a low-carb wrap, over mixed greens as a salad, or with crackers for a light appetizer.
Notes
- Chicken options: Rotisserie chicken is the easiest shortcut. One average chicken yields about 3 cups of meat. You can also use leftover roasted, grilled, or poached chicken.
- Make it creamier: Add an extra 2-3 tablespoons of mayo if you prefer a creamier, more heavily dressed chicken salad.
- Don’t overdress: Start with the listed amount of mayo and add more if needed. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away!
- Texture preference: For chunkier salad, dice chicken into larger pieces. For a more traditional fine-textured salad, shred or finely chop the chicken.
- Prevent soggy sandwiches: Always put lettuce between the bread and chicken salad, and don’t assemble sandwiches more than an hour before eating if possible.
- Storage: Store chicken salad separately from bread in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Assemble sandwiches fresh when ready to eat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Lunch
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 485
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 725mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 21g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 34g
- Cholesterol: 95mg