An easy chicken salad made using store bought rotisserie chicken makes the ultimate chicken salad sandwiches perfect for lunches, picnics or any gatherings. A classic chicken sandwich is always a favourite, and this one is creamy, crunchy and just super delicious – everyone will love them!
I am having a moment with the humble sandwich and my go to is always chicken and mayo. But my biggest issue with store bought chicken sandwiches is that they lack flavour and texture. That is where this chicken salad is stepping in and making this simple sandwich something delicious that you’ll look forward to lunch time to eat!
I first made these chicken sandwiches as finger sandwiches for a high tea with friends and they were so good I realised I just wanted them as regular sandwiches for lunch. You can make either variation and I have instructions for both in the recipe card notes at the bottom of this post.
Chicken salad is a classic and usually is a cold, creamy salad that is used to fill sandwiches and wraps. It’s usually made with a mayo base and then has a bunch of different add-ins like herbs, mustard, fruit or nuts, to give extra flavour and texture.
This version tries to keep things fresh and simple using just a few extra ingredients to give that crunchy texture to the smooth and creamy chicken and mayo filling.
Key Ingredients
To make this chicken salad, we need just a few ingredients that will give us the perfectly balanced creamy and crunchy texture.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken – we’re using a store bought roast chicken for this recipe. I love using rotisserie chicken for this recipe for a few reasons, firstly it’s easy which is great if you’re making these for a gathering and secondly the store bought chickens have so much seasoning through the meat making it perfect for sandwiches. If you want however, you can of course first roast your own chicken or use poached chicken.
- Mayonnaise – use a thick and creamy whole egg mayo for the best flavour and texture.
- Light sour cream – to reduce the amount of oil and keep this chicken salad light while still being creamy we’re also using sour cream. I like to use the lactose free version for my diet, but to keep it completely dairy free you can use a dairy free/vegan sour cream alternative or just use all mayonnaise instead.
- Walnuts – adding a nutty flavour and crunch. You can use raw or roasted walnuts here.
- Celery – gives the salad a fresh crunch. You could also add some green onions / spring onion as well.
- Parsley – adds freshness and flavour. You could use dill instead depending on what you prefer.
- White sandwich bread – really you can use any bread you want to fill with the chicken salad, but for a traditional sandwich we’re using white sandwich bread.
Step-By-Step Instructions
There really isn’t too much to talk about here, that’s just how simple it is to make.
You start by shredding the chicken. What we’re looking for is really fine and tender pieces of chicken that kind of just melt a bit in your mouth when you eat your sandwich. To achieve this, first pull off all of your meat from the chicken, discarding the bones and skin as we don’t want any of that ruining the soft texture of the meat.
Once you’ve pulled all the meat off and shredded it slightly so you don’t have huge chunks, grab your kitchen knife and chop the chicken finley, similar to how you would chop your parsley.
Now that you have finely chopped chicken, you can add this to a large mixing bowl with the rest of your ingredients.
Before adding your walnuts and celery, ensure that they have been finely chopped as while you want the addition of the crunchy you don’t want huge chunky pieces, you want it all to sort of blend together.
Mix up your chicken salad until all combined and taste, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Now it’s time to assemble your sandwiches! I like a generous amount of filling per sandwich so this amount of chicken salad generally makes about 5 sandwiches. If you are feeding a crowd, you can use the whole chicken, double the salad ingredients and you’ll get 10 sandwiches total.
Optionally you can start by buttering your bread. Personally I don’t like to as I think the filling is creamy enough and I don’t want to impact the flavour of the filling but it’s completely up to you.
Next, spread out your salad across 5 slices of bread and top with the remaining bread. If you’re making finger sandwiches or are just looking for that pre-packaged style sandwich, you can remove the crusts.
If you’re making finger sandwiches, it’s also easier to first refrigerate the sandwiches before cutting them into rectangles as this is going to firm up the bread and filling and help you get a cleaner cut.
Recipe FAQs
Your sandwiches will keep wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also just make the filling ahead of time and then make your sandwiches when ready to serve which also makes it a great meal prep recipe.
As written this recipe is lactose-free not dairy-free as we’re using the lactose free sour cream to keep the filling creamy without being heavy. This recipe will be suitable for those that have an intolerance or allergy to lactose, but does still contain dairy.
If you need it to be dairy free you can use a dairy free / vegan sour cream alternative instead otherwise other substitutes include a dairy free yoghurt or to simply to use more mayonnaise.
Unfortunately store bough rotisserie chicken is NOT gluten-free. Therefore to make a gluten free version of these sandwiches, you’ll need to roast or poach your own chicken to ensure it safe and use your favourite gluten-free sandwich bread.
More easy lunches:
Vegetarian Fresh Spring Rolls
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Roasted Broccoli Salad
BBQ Prawn Tacos
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- ½ rotisserie chicken
- ½ cup whole egg mayonnaise
- ½ cup light sour cream lactose free
- ⅓ cup walnuts chopped
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 10 slices white sandwich bread
Instructions
- Pull the meat off your chicken and finely chop before adding to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, walnuts, celery and parsley to the chicken and mix well until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide the mixture between 5 slices of white bread and top with the remaining bread. Cut in halves or quarters and place on a plate to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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