Chicken Salad for Sandwiches
Loaded with pecans, grapes, apples, and creamy mayo, this delicious chicken salad for sandwiches recipe is a quick, easy, and game-changing lunch.
This classic chicken salad for sandwiches recipe fits into the category of a “non-recipe” for me, but Mama swears up and down there is someone out there who would like to see how we make chicken salad. So, I’m gonna mind my Mama and post it. Whenever a Southerner “swears up and down” about something, it’s in your best interest to believe them!
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. So, who’s ready for lunch?
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken
- Apple
- Pecans
- Grapes
- Mayonnaise
FYI, this is enough for two chicken salad sandwiches.
How To Make Chicken Salad For Sandwiches
Coarsely chop your pecans, grapes, and apples.
If your cooked chicken is in large pieces, give that a little chopping, too. Add about a half cup of mayonnaise.
Stir that up and add salt and pepper to taste. As you can see, I used about a 1/4 tsp of each.
I placed a few pieces of lettuce to line my wheat bread with and then piled it high!
Didn’t that make a pretty sandwich?
My Katy said it was too “puffy” so she fixed that for me. 🙂
Now doesn’t that look scrumptious!
Storage
Unfortunately, the mayo in this chicken salad recipe doesn’t always work out so well if you try to freeze and then thaw it. It would keep fresh in a sealed container for a couple of days. But there are rarely any leftovers after making these sandwiches.
Recipe Notes
- You can use any kind of chicken. This is a great way to use up any . I used some leftover smoked chicken, but you might like to use up a leftover rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, roasted chicken, or shredded poached chicken breast. Another option is to swap the chicken for turkey.
- Want to jazz this chicken salad sandwich recipe up a bit? Try some of these add-ins:
- Add different nuts. Cashews, sliced almonds, or walnuts would also go great with this salad.
- Slice up hard-boiled eggs and fold them in to increase your protein.
- Substitute the grapes for dried cranberries or raisins.
- Add extra flavoring, like 1 teaspoon of onion powder or garlic powder, Worchestershire sauce (that’s a mouthful LOL), 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard, or Morton’s seasoning salt.
- 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped dill, chives, parsley, or even is always a great addition.
- Speaking of dill, you can also add 1 tablespoon of dill pickle relish.
- Add more veggies, like 1/2 red onion and 2 celery stalks (both finely chopped).
- Substitute the mayo for ranch dressing or your favorite salad dressing (check out my chipotle ranch dressing).
- Layer more vegetables on your sandwich too, like fresh tomato slices, cucumber, or a spread of avocado. Don’t forget the , either!
- Instead of spreading your chicken salad on a sandwich, simply toss it with lettuce to make a delicious salad. You can also serve it on my homemade dinner rolls, wrapped in a tortilla, or in
You may also enjoy these sensational chicken salad recipes:
Recipe for Caprese Salad with Chicken and Avocado
Treasure Found: Granny Jordan’s Chicken Casserole / Salad
Fresh Summer Salads with Simply Dressed Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked chicken chopped
- 1/2 cup grapes
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 small apple
- 1/4 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, 1/2 cup grapes, 1/2 cup pecans, 1/2 cup mayo, 1 small apple, 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper
- Serve on a bed of lettuce or on lettuce-lined bread.
Nutrition
I had to laugh when I finally found this recipe. I knew it was here, Christy. Then I saw that you said it was a non-recipe to you, but Mama said SOMEBODY would want it! I ate Arby’s chicken salad sandwich yesterday and thought, “I know that Christy’s will be even better than this.” Thanks for not failing me!
The addition of cinnamon makes chicken salad great, too. It could be stirred into the mayonnaise. It doens’t take much, but it really adds flavor.
My chicken salad is just wonderful and so easy to make, Take any leftover chicken that you have and pass it in the food processsor unti it is real fine.If you want you can put a diced up boil egg or 2 in there too . Mix all this well, then ad mayanoise and a tiney pit of mustard,some dill pickel relish and some sweet relish too. Taste for seasoning and then add red pepper onion powder and a very little of salt if needed. This is so good. What we are really making here is a chicken salad spread which is great as is with a sandwich or with crackers
This is how I make mine to. Health Nut bread at Wal-mart is also good with it
Ummmm……makes me want chicken salad! I like to toast my pecans a little and put a little lemon juice in it. Also great on croissants!!!
I use half may and half soar cream…really makes it good
mayo…sorry
I LOVE Sour cream!!! I am trying to imagine that now. I sense chicken salad in my near future…
This is very similar to my chicken salad except that I mix 1/2 mayo and a 1/2 low fat sour cream and add drained crushed pineapple. If you are making large batch you can soak your apple chunks in the pineapple juice so they won’t brown. Yummy! Love your blog.
Great tip Melanie!!! Thanks for sharing!
There is a recipe for chicken salad on the Members Mark canned chicken at Sams. It is delicious also! The only difference is they put mustard powder, garlic, & chopped onions in theirs. When I first heard about it I was skeptical but after tasting it…. OH MY – you should try it sometime!
I will have to try it sometime Penny! Thanks for sharing.