You know those pulled chicken sandwiches with a rich and creamy filling that we often find in cafes during lunch breaks? I had leftover roast chicken from the night before and thought of using it to make some delicious chicken salad sandwiches, inspired by those delightful sandwiches we often rely on when eating out. Made at home with fresh ingredients, chicken salad sandwiches can be a tasty solution for a summer dinner or, why not?, an excellent alternative to the usual lunch meat sandwich for a picnic, obviously to be stored in a cooler bag. These chicken sandwiches can be made using roast chicken, boiled chicken – such as leftover from making broth – or even simple grilled chicken breast and can be customized as desired: at the end of the recipe you’ll find many useful suggestions!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2 Pieces
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 489.50 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 32.03 (g) of which sugars 2.16 (g)
- Proteins 26.38 (g)
- Fat 28.72 (g) of which saturated 5.44 (g)of which unsaturated 13.86 (g)
- Fibers 2.65 (g)
- Sodium 600.34 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 193 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 2 Chicken Salad Sandwiches
If you are celiac, besides using gluten-free bread, make sure the mayonnaise label says “gluten-free”. As for pickles, they do not need the label as long as they contain only: water, salt, oil, vinegar, sugar, sulfites, lemon juice, ascorbic acid, citric acid, spices, and aromatic plants.
- 4 slices white sandwich bread
- 6.35 oz chicken, whole, skinless, cooked, roasted (net of bones and skin)
- 0.71 oz mixed salad
- 2.12 oz carrots (julienned)
- 1.06 oz pickles (or other pickles of choice)
- 0.71 oz mayonnaise, industrial
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
How to Make Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
To make shredded chicken salad sandwiches, start with the chicken: as I mentioned, I had leftover roast chicken, which is perfect for this recipe, but you can also use boiled chicken (from the broth), or cook it specifically for this recipe. In this case, you just need to boil chicken breast slices in lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes or chicken drumsticks, skinned, for 12 minutes.
The uniqueness of these chicken sandwiches is that the chicken pieces are hand-shredded to form rather small bites that perfectly blend with the other ingredients: remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat (1) into small pieces (2). Set aside. Drain the pickles and slice them thinly (3).
Place the salad in a large bowl, add the carrots and a pinch of salt (4). Mix briefly, then also add the chicken and a drizzle of oil (5). Mix carefully and add the pickles as well (6).
Finally, add the mayonnaise (7) and mix well to properly combine all the ingredients. You should obtain a homogeneous and fairly compact mixture (8). Divide it onto two slices of sandwich bread, forming a generous layer (9).
Close each sandwich with another slice of bread, pressing slightly to compact it. Then cut each sandwich in half diagonally if you want to create two smaller sandwiches. If not consumed immediately, wrap the chicken salad sandwiches in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator or a cooler bag.
Storage
Chicken salad sandwiches can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days, wrapped in plastic wrap, unless you’ve used homemade mayonnaise; in that case, it is better to consume them within the day.
Tips and Variations
Instead of roasted or boiled chicken, you can use grilled chicken breast slices. To keep it tender, be careful with cooking: it’s better to use slightly thicker slices and cook them for 2-3 minutes per side.
For these chicken sandwiches, I used mixed greens, but you can substitute them with your preferred type of salad: lettuce is among the best for chicken salad, perhaps mixed with some arugula to give more flavor to the sandwiches.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What can I use instead of pickles?
Another type of pickle or pickled vegetable will work: artichoke hearts, pearl onions, or even green olives.
Another type of pickle or pickled vegetable will work: artichoke hearts, pearl onions, or even green olives.
What can I use instead of mayonnaise?
For a lighter version of chicken salad sandwiches, you can use a yogurt and mustard sauce: take inspiration from this chicken salad without mayonnaise recipe!
For a lighter version of chicken salad sandwiches, you can use a yogurt and mustard sauce: take inspiration from this chicken salad without mayonnaise recipe!
