American
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Chicken breasts are cooked to 165°F, chopped, and mixed with mayonnaise, celery, and a little Dijon. The salad goes on soft rolls for a classic lunch.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 14 min
- Total
- 29 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Cooking the chicken yourself lets you salt it and check 165°F.
- A small amount of Dijon keeps the mayonnaise from tasting flat.
- Celery is the crunch. Do not skip it.
- The salad is just as good the next day on fresh bread.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
If the chicken is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator. Pat it dry. Do not rinse the chicken. Season with 1/2 tsp of the salt and the pepper.
- 2
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken 6 to 7 minutes per side, until the thickest part of each breast reads 165°F.
- 3
Rest the chicken 5 minutes, then chop it into small pieces.
- 4
Stir the mayonnaise, Dijon, lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl. Fold in the chicken, celery, and red onion.
- 5
Split the rolls. Line each bottom with lettuce.
- 6
Spoon the chicken salad onto the rolls, close them, and serve. Chill the salad 15 minutes first if you want it cold.
Pro tips
- Chop, do not shred into strings. Small cubes stay in the roll.
- Taste the salad before it hits the bread. Rolls hide under-seasoning.
- Toast the rolls if they are very soft and you are worried about sogginess.
Easy substitutions
- Mayonnaise
- Half mayonnaise and half plain Greek yogurt.
- Rolls
- Sliced sandwich bread.
- Red onion
- 1 tbsp sweet pickle relish.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate the chicken salad for up to 3 days. Add it to rolls when you eat.
Reheating
Serve cold. If you prefer warm chicken, reheat only the chopped chicken to 165°F and mix it with fresh dressing.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 408
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein
You might also like
Egg Salad Sandwich
Jammy yolks and chopped whites bound with a little mayo, mustard, and celery. It is a sandwich with crunch, not a cup of mayonnaise with eggs in it.
22 min · Easy
View recipe
Turkey Club
Toasted bread is stacked with turkey, crisp bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. A third slice of toast in the middle is what makes it a club.
27 min · Easy
View recipe
Caprese Chicken Sandwich
Seared chicken, tomato, mozzarella, and basil on a roll with a little balsamic. It is a lunch that tastes like a summer plate, stacked so you can take it with you.
22 min · Easy
View recipe
Avocado BLT Sandwiches
Bacon cooks until crisp, then goes on toast with tomato, lettuce, and avocado. The avocado is the spread, so there is no extra mayonnaise.
18 min · Easy
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
Chicken Rice Lunch Bowl
Sliced chicken, warm rice, cucumber, and a tamari-sesame dressing you can pack beside the bowl. It is a lunch that stays crisp if the cucumber rides on top, not in the sauce.
27 min · Easy
View recipe
Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Chopped cooked chicken is folded with yogurt, a little curry, celery, and grapes. It is a sandwich, not a mayonnaise puddle.
20 min · Easy
View recipe
Tuna Salad Sandwich
Canned tuna is mixed with celery, onion, lemon, and mayonnaise, then piled on soft bread. It is a reliable lunch that comes together from the pantry.
15 min · Easy
View recipe
Chicken Pesto Wraps
Chicken is sliced thin and cooked in a skillet before it is tossed with pesto and rolled in tortillas. The pesto already brings salt and fat, so the chicken needs little more than pepper or the wrap tastes harsh.
27 min · Easy
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.