I ain't one to boast but I make the best damn chicken salad sandwich period! It packs an abundance of flavor and is crunchy with the right balance of moisture and firmness texture-wise.
Let me be clear if you're expecting your tried and true traditional chicken salad, look elsewhere. This chicken salad sandwich is bursting with plump juicy grapes, fresh herbs, a smokey mayo, and complimentary spices.
MOOD MUSIC
Let me take a momentary break from ego trippin and explain the origin of the this sandwich. Oddly enough it evolved from my late Uncle Slick's tuna fish sandwich. Back in the day, he was always cooking but I could never eat any of his creations outside of his hood famous popcorn, which is another recipe I'll share on the blog at some point.
Uncle Slick made pork chops and tuna fish only. At the time I had a fish intolerance so both his staples were out since he fried his chops in the same oil used for fried catfish.
Anyway, fast forward to early 2000s I visited my Uncle Slick as he enjoyed a tuna fish sandwich and red Kool-aid from a large former glass pickle jar while watching the Fox TV sports show "Best Damn Show Period." By this time my fish issues were behind me, so I would finally be sampling the goods.
In my Ric Flair voice, WOO! is all I could say to describe how good the sandwich tasted. It was canned tuna damn it! with some store brand dill relish to boot, and hard-boiled eggs. You wanna talk about basic and humble, but it was doctored up with the greatness of a public school cafeteria lady who seemingly always made near gourmet out of the garbage.
CHICKEN SALAD INGREDIENTS
- Cooked Chicken or Canned Chicken Chunks
- Hard-Boiled Egg Whites, diced
- Dill pickles, diced
- Red onion, diced
- Green apple, diced
- Grapes, halved
- Dijon Mustard
- Mayonnaise
- Canned Chipotle adobo sauce
- Paprika
- Garlic Powder
- Black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cilantro (optional)
- Fresh basil (optional)
CHICKEN SALAD INSTRUCTIONS
Add mayo and chipotle sauce to a small mixing bowl and mix well.
Add remaining ingredients plus the chipotle mayo to a large mixing bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust as necessary.
CONSIDERATIONS AND TIPS
Best Damn Chicken Salad Sandwich Meal Planning
Feel free to follow the recipe exactly, or put your personal spin on the chicken salad sandwich. I wanted a fruit presence, so used both black grapes and diced green apples for the flavor and also the crunch. Pears could also work. The smokiness comes from the smoked paprika and chipotle sauce. These two ingredients also give the chicken salad it's unique non-traditional color.
I used leftover roasted chicken, but as Uncle Slick proved, canned chicken chunks work well as does chicken prepared in most ways. Just remember the canned stuff sits in water and tends to be bland, so bump up the seasonings for more flavor.
Chicken Salad Recipe Uses
This is a lunchtime staple for me, but can easily be for a picnic or snack. I often make up a batch and eat with:
- Crackers
- Fancy sandwich breads/buns like sourdough, ciabatta, or brioche
- Bibb or Romaine lettuce make for great salads or cups.
- Tortillas for wraps
MORE SANDWICH RECIPES
Grilled Cheese with Andouille Sausage
Braised Beef Neck Bones Sandwich
MAKE THIS RECIPE
If you make this chicken salad sandwich recipe or any other from the site, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken chopped
- 2 Hard Boiled Egg whites chopped
- 2 tablespoon Dill Pickles diced
- ½ medium Red Onion diced
- 1 Green Apple cored, peeled, and diced
- ¼ cup Grapes halved
- ⅛ cup Dijon Mustard
- 1 cup Mayo
- 2 tablespoon canned Chipotle adobo sauce
- ½ tablespoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground garlic
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Basil chopped
Instructions
- Add mayo and chipotle sauce to a small mixing bowl and mix well.
- Add remaining ingredients plus the chipotle mayo to a large mixing bowl and mix well.
- Serve as sandwich on your bread of choice.