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.
This is great! We had a bowl bull of grapes that needed to be seeded and then I decided they had to go into a chicken salad….knew I had a can of chicken in the pantry…..ok! there it is. First check the computer for any emails….and here is the one from Christy Jordan….with just the recipe I need. I do have some leftover celery from turkey dressing so will add some diced up celery for extra crunch. And have almonds cause all the pecans got used up in the Apple/Pecan Upside Down pie I make for turkey day…but today’s meal will be Chicken Salad….thanks for all the reader’s posts…enjoy reading. We are the “south” but not the “deep South”…..we are the Arizona, which is the South-west…..as far as cooking, there is a difference but I love brousing through your recipes!
I love the Arby’s chicken salad and so glad to see a recipe like it, I will be trying today. Thanks
potato salad and fruit salad are two of my favorite salads. i also like the tangy taste of chicken salad’`.
Christy, I hope you have some other “non-recipes” you will share and am hoping your Momma is there “swearing up and down” people will want said recipes. SHE’S RIGHT!! I have tried for years to make a decent chicken salad and never quite knew the secret. THIS IS IT!! This is wonderful to see the simplicity in this and yet it is exactly what I’ve been looking for!!! Never assume your readers won’t be interested in a recipe you might consider “a no brainer” or “unworthy”!!! There’s still plenty out here learning with every recipe! WHAT ABOUT TUNA SALAD??? Please share.
i like potato salad and also mixed fruit salads. they are tasty and so yummy”:,
thanks christie. I am trying to plan a baby shower and it’s just what I needed. Your mom was right.
I LOVE Arby’s chicken sandwich, but don’t get there very often. I had this on my mind, so I decided to look up a recipe. Glad to find this one and enjoyed the added info on violins! Also appreciate the suggestions in the other posts. Will try this ASAP:) and come back to check out the other recipes here.