Chicken Salad for Sandwiches
When you need a quick and tasty lunch, this Chicken Salad for Sandwiches is the perfect ready-to-eat meal you can make ahead and enjoy all week long. Just grab it from the fridge and assemble your sandwich in minutes. It’s loaded with pecans, grapes, apples, and creamy mayo, and is a favorite for school lunches, office meals, road trips, and everything in between!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Chicken Salad for Sandwiches
- Serves: 2 sandwiches
- Main Ingredients: cooked chicken, grapes, pecans, mayo, apple, each of salt and pepper
- Why You'll Love It: Loaded with pecans, grapes, apples, and mayo, this delicious chicken salad for sandwiches recipe is a quick, easy, and game-changing lunch.
Crunchy, Creamy, Delicious Chicken Salad
I’ve previously shared my ham salad sandwich recipe, but today we’re focusing on chicken. Now, how many of you have tried Arby’s chicken salad sandwich? It is really good. I know some of you are thinking, “A chicken salad sandwich from a fast food place?” Trust me, Arby’s is good, but it doesn’t hold a candle to our recipe!
Our chicken salad for sandwiches is a quick and easy lunchtime option. But it’s also absolutely delicious! It includes an enticing combination of shredded chicken, grapes, diced apple, and pecans. Add in some creamy mayo, layer on some greens, and you have yourself an unbeatable sandwich. I’ve included lots of substitutions and additions below so you can truly make this classic chicken salad recipe your own.
Looking for more chicken salad ideas? My Chinese Chicken Salad and Granny Jordan’s Chicken Casserole / Salad are just as tasty!
Ingredients
- Apple
- Grapes
- Pecans
- Chicken (make sure this is cooked before you start!)
- Mayonnaise
- Salt & pepper
My Favorite Add-Ins for Chicken Salad
- Add different nuts: Cashews, sliced almonds, or walnuts would also go great with this salad.
- Boost your protein: Slice up some hard-boiled eggs and fold them in for an extra protein punch.
- Swap the grapes: Try dried cranberries or raisins instead for a different kind of sweetness.
- Extra flavoring: Add 1 teaspoon of onion powder or garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard, or Morton’s seasoning salt.
- Fresh herbs: 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped dill, chives, parsley, or green onion is always a great addition. You can also add 1 tablespoon of dill pickle relish.
- More veggies: Add 1/2 red onion and 2 celery stalks, both finely chopped, for an extra crunch.
- Swap the mayo: Substitute ranch dressing or your favorite salad dressing (check out my chipotle ranch dressing).
- Add toppings: Layer more vegetables on your sandwich, like fresh tomato slices, cucumber, or a spread of avocado. Don’t forget the cheese, either!
How To Make Chicken Salad For Sandwiches
1. Prepare
Let’s start by coarsely chopping your pecans, grapes, and apples.
If your cooked chicken is in large pieces, give that a little chopping, too.
2. Combine
Now, in a large mixing bowl, add your chopped ingredients. Then add your mayonnaise.
Note: From here, you can place your chicken salad in the fridge if you’re preparing it ahead of time. Otherwise, let’s continue on!
Stir that up and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Assemble
Get your bread of choice. I placed a few pieces of lettuce to line my wheat bread, then piled it high.
Now doesn’t that look scrumptious? Enjoy your delicious chicken salad!
Storage
If you’re making this ahead of time, you can store the chicken salad in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a couple of days. I recommend waiting to assemble your sandwiches until you’re ready to eat them, though, as the bread will likely get a little soggy. Just keep the chicken salad and bread separate until it’s time to dig in, and you’ll be good to go!
Chicken Salad for Sandwiches FAQs
Any, really! This chicken salad recipe is a great way to use up any leftover chicken. I used leftover smoked chicken, but you might like to use leftover rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, roasted chicken, or shredded poached chicken breast. Another option is to swap the chicken for turkey.
Besides sandwiches, there are plenty of ways to enjoy this chicken salad! Try tossing it with lettuce to make a delicious salad. You can also serve it on my homemade dinner rolls, wrapped in a tortilla, or in lettuce wraps.
Chicken salad is pretty darn easy to make, but there are a few things that can go wrong. If you overcook the chicken, it’ll turn out tough and rubbery, and nobody wants that. I like to poach it to keep it nice and moist, or just grab a rotisserie chicken and call it a day.
And whatever you do, don’t mix warm chicken with the mayo! It’s not just a food safety thing. It’ll make your dressing greasy and sad. Let it cool down in the fridge first. When it comes to the mayo, less is more. Add it little by little until everything is just coated, then squeeze in some lemon juice, a splash of apple cider vinegar, or even some pickle juice to really make the flavors pop!
Made any fun additions or substitutions to your chicken salad? I’d love to know! Drop a comment below and leave a star rating while you’re at it 😉
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked chicken chopped
- ½ cup grapes
- ½ cup pecans
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 small apple
- ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Coarsely chop the apple, grapes, and pecans. Place in a bowl with the chicken, mayo, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined.1 cup cooked chicken, ½ cup grapes, ½ cup pecans, ½ cup mayo, 1 small apple, ¼ tsp each of salt and pepper
- Serve on a bed of lettuce or on lettuce-lined bread.
No problem with the emails! I got your recipe for Dishpan cookies – just what I needed! I was looking for a good recipe to send to school for the kids’ Halloween party!
Every Southern Gal needs a good recipe for chicken salad.
I’ve never liked the Arby’s though…but sit me down in a tea house and I always order chicken salad….yummy!
Like the others, you have “flung a cravin’ on me”…as my Hubby says!
Be blessed today!♥
I am SO glad someone finally posted this recipe! I, too, was in awe of how great Arbys’ chicken salad is. I’ve tried to duplicate it at home, but it wasn’t quite right. I’ll have to try this recipe now!
This is certainly a “must try”, both the recipe and the Arby’s sandwich. I’m not sure that my sandwich will be as good as yours unless your Katy can smoosh it for me. What a marvelous pic!!!
LOL!
I’m glad I could provide!!
~slips the aluminum foil cap back over her head and glares intently at you while she hums~
“Now to see what I need to post tomorrow….”
~winks and grins~
Christy
Looks just like my mom makes it! Yum!
Get out of my head, lady! You seem to know exactly the kind of recipes I want to see. I was just thinking yesterday that I’d like to have a nice fruity chicken salad!