Never underestimate the power of great chicken sandwiches! Excellent platter for gatherings, picnics and work lunches. My secrets? Fresh dill, a handful of walnuts and shred the chicken really finely using a stand-mixer or electric beater. Yes, really.
Chicken sandwiches
If you’ve ever wondered why those chicken sandwiches from “that gourmet deli” are so coveted and command such high prices, the answer lies not just in the secret mix of ingredients for the filling but also in the texture of the chicken.
“It’s so soft and just melts in your mouth!“, friends have observed.
The secret? Shredding the chicken super, super finely, until it’s basically crumbly, using a stand-mixer. This makes the chicken sandwich filling soft and creamy because you don’t have chewy chunks of chicken in it.
No stand-mixer? No worries! Use a hand-held beater or a little patience and your hands. 🙂
Mayonnaise plus sour cream
And the second secret of course is the sauce! You want it to have plenty of creamy sauce but not be too oily and weighed down with mayonnaise. My trick is to use both mayonnaise (for flavour and richness) and sour cream (for creamy goodness with less oil).
Ingredients in Chicken Sandwich Filling
Here’s what goes in my chicken sandwiches. And before you say it, let me acknowledge that I left out the most obvious ingredient for sandwiches – BREAD! 😂
Chicken – I use store bought chicken for ease. Bonus: The flesh is seasoned all the way through.
Homemade roast chicken – If you’re a better person than me, make your own brined roast chicken (the brine will infuse the flesh with salt like store bought rotisserie chicken).
Chicken breast – I prefer to use a whole chicken so you get a good blend of white meat (breast, lean) and dark meat (thigh, leg, wings – juicier and more flavour). But if you prefer to use just chicken breast, use my Foolproof Poached Chicken Breast (guarantees juicy breast) and toss the shredded chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt before mixing the sauce through.
The bread (which I forgot to picture!) – The traditional bread is soft white sandwich bread. For fellow Australians – hot tip: Bakers Delight. The white sandwich bread, standard slice, is best for finger sandwiches. Soft but not sooooo soft that the filling squishes the bread.
And of course, the bread of choice is not set in stone so feel free to use whatever bread you want!
Mayonnaise – I always use whole egg mayonnaise which is creamier, smoother and has better flavour than mayonnaise that is not labelled “whole egg”. The reason is because whole-egg mayonnaise has more egg in it.
My favourite mayonnaise brand is S&W, followed by Kewpie. Hellman’s is good too albeit a little sweeter. I find other brands (especially non whole-egg mayonnaise) too sweet and/or too vinegary and/or lacking in (good) flavour. I live in Sydney, Australia, and you can get all these brands at everyday large grocery stores.
Sour cream – Secret ingredient! Using this means we can have plenty of tasty sauce in our chicken sandwich filling without it being overly greasy from using just mayonnaise. Yogurt can also be used but sour cream is my preference because it’s creamier.
Walnuts – The classic nut addition in “gourmet deli-style” chicken sandwiches. I think part of the appeal, other than the hint of nutty flavour, is that it adds a bit of much needed texture in the otherwise very creamy filling.
Best substitute – cashews, macadamia nuts or pecans. Else, leave it out.
Fresh dill – Another ingredient that makes this “gourmet deli-style”! Lovely hint of fresh flavour. No other herb will provide the same flavour so if you don’t have it / like it, just leave it out. (Parsley can be used for a bit of green colour but won’t add flavour).
Pickles – For the most subtle touch of tang in the filling. Use your favourite pickles. You could even substitute with capers.
Celery and green onion – Adds background freshness in the filling and the celery also adds texture. While green onion could be substituted with red onion or eschalots (French onions / US: shallots), don’t skip the celery! It really makes a difference.
Onion, garlic, salt, pepper – The seasonings for the sauce. I use onion and garlic powder rather than fresh because they have a smooth earthy flavour which is what I’m after for the sauce.
Lemon juice – For a touch of freshness in the sauce. Substitute with vinegar.
Dijon mustard – More flavour!
How to make deli-style chicken sandwiches
Nothing ground-breaking here. The only trick is shredding the chicken as finely as you can. The finer it’s shredded, the creamier the chicken filling which is what sets deli-style chicken sandwiches apart from the rest!
As I mentioned earlier, a stand-mixer will make short work of this. Hand-held beater also works. Else, your hands and some patience!
Remove flesh off the chicken and remove the skin. (No prizes for guessing where all the chicken skin goes around here. You’ll see in the recipe video!)
Shred the chicken as finely as you can. It takes about 1 minute on medium speed using a stand-mixer using the paddle attachment (not whisk, it gets all caught up in the wires). A hand-held beater will also work but will take a bit longer. Else, use your hands.
Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Use a whisk, if needed.
Pour sauce over the chicken with remaining Filling ingredients (walnuts, celery, green onion, pickle, dill) and mix until combined.
At this stage, you should sneak in a taste test and marvel at how soft and creamy the chicken sandwich filling is!
Butter the bread. This not only provides extra flavour but a protection barrier so the sauce of the chicken filling doesn’t soak into the bread.
Spread the filling on the bread, from edge to edge.
Cut off crusts – I typically don’t cut the crust off sandwiches but for chicken sandwiches, I do if I’m making them for other people. Partly so they look neat – think High-Tea finger sandwich style – and also because then you get the full effect of the soft creamy chicken filling with just soft white bread. No tough crust getting in the way of the eating experience!
PS You know full well the crusts get eaten right? Plenty of chicken filling makes its way to the crust!
Cut in half on the diagonal, or into rectangles, then line them upon a platter!
TIP: If you want really neat edges, refrigerate the assembled sandwiches for at least 2 hours before slicing. This will make the filling firm up and makes it easier to cut neatly. I did not do this for the sandwiches pictured in this post. You know that patience is not my greatest virtue!
I love a good sandwich, and these Chicken Sandwiches rate very, very highly in my books. As a bonus, the filling keeps well for 3 days and the assembled sandwiches, while best made fresh, are still 90% as good the next day (the bread softens with time). In fact, the sandwiches in this post were my dinner and breakfast for 2 consecutive days – and I was very happy about it!
And as I mentioned in the opening, I’m sharing this recipe with holiday gatherings in mind. Take it to your office Christmas party. A picnic with friends. A day out at the beach.
Or, you could go really crazy and have them for lunch! 😱 Live life on the edge! – Nagi x
PS If you do make these for a gathering, tell me below if they were the first food to go! #NotCommpetitiveAtAll 🤭
Watch how to make it
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Chicken sandwiches
Ingredients
Filling:
- 500g/ 1 lb cooked chicken meat from 1 large store bought roast chicken (Note 1)
- 1 celery stem , sliced 3mm/0.1″ thick then into 0.5cm/0.2″ pieces
- 1 green onion stem , finely sliced
- 3/4 cup walnuts , roughly chopped (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp finely chopped cornichon/dill pickle
- 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped dill (Note 3)
Sauce:
- 2/3 cup whole egg mayonnaise (S&W best in Aus, Note 4)
- 2/3 cup sour cream (sub full fat yogurt)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (sub white wine or cider vinegar)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (or more garlic powder)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or more onion powder)
- 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Sandwiches:
- Salted butter , for spreading on bread
- 20 slices white sandwich bread, day-old, (or more slices for less filling) (Note 5)
Instructions
- Shred the chicken as finely as you can. The best method is using a stand-mixer. Just put the meat in the bowl with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until it's really finely shredded (~ 1 minute). Else use a handheld beater or your hands.
- Mix the Sauce ingredients in a bowl until smooth – use a whisk if needed.
- Pour Sauce over the chicken. Add remaining Filling ingredients. Stir until combined.
- Spread bread with butter. Spread with Filling (see below for amount).
- Remove crusts if desired (for the authentic "gourmet" experience!) and cut in half. (Tip: For really neat cuts, refrigerate sandwiches before slicing so Filling firms up).
- Serve on platters littered with green fluffage, if desired!
Filling quantities (Note 6)
- Chicken filling per sandwich:– Deli standard (recommended): 100g / 1/2 cup (makes 10 sandwiches)– Very generous: 130g / 1/2 cup (makes 8)– Everyday lunchbox: 80g (1/3 cup) (makes 15).
Recipe Notes:
- 1/2 cup (100g) per sandwich is generous and makes a filling sandwich, even for someone with a “robust” appetite like myself! Makes 10.
- Normal lunchbox size sandwich – 1/3 cup (80g) is sufficient, makes 15.
- Mega sandwich – pile on as much as you want!
Life of Dozer
Stand up paddle boarding with Dozer. (He stood. I didn’t!)
Very nice. Although the idea of a “paste” did not appeal, so I left the chicken chunky. I also used chives instead off of green onion and thyme instead of dill because that is what I had.
Highly recommend this delicious and simple filling. I have not used in sandwiches, but use in wraps, topped with gourmet lettuce and tomato. Delicious for work lunches
and dinners on hot days.
Lovely with chicken. Have tried a few times. Could I possibly substitute the chicken with tin salmon or tuna. Do you think that would work?
You were right! These sandwiches were a total hit and were the first to go with your homemade pork sausage rolls! People are still talking about both! 😄
Well that’s the best chicken sandwich around! Here’s an idea: once you’ve made this 5 times, try substituting 2 tsps of dried tarragon (fresh won’t do it, believe it or not) instead of the dill. Takes it in another excellent direction.
Love your “gourmet deli” chicken sandwich recipe. My parents liked it too. I deviated from the recipe by cutting the amount of salt in half, doubled the amount of garlic powder and used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Tasted great, although I expect it would also taste great if I made no changes. I also chose to NOT mix the chicken with the rest of the ingredients so people could decide the amount of sauce/spread and the amount of chicken they wanted in their sandwich. Next time, I will use a mixer to shred the chicken more finely and I will mix it with all the other ingredients. In another “next time,” I may cut the amount of “flavor ingredients” (e.g., dill, garlic, onion powder, etc) by half to see if I can taste the chicken more.
Wow!! I’m not really a chicken salad fan but I wanted to make sandwiches for an afternoon Bunco party I’m hosting tomorrow. Just made the recipe and I’m stunned at how good this tastes. Its delicious! I didn’t have fresh dill so I subbed freeze dried; and had to sub key lime for lemon (no lemon on hand but my key lime tree is dropping limes all over my backyard right now).
Best recipe! I skip the walnuts, personal taste.
A very good recipe, indeed. Using it often, to make sandwiches for my wife when she goes to work, for her lunch.
Hands down the best sanga I’ve ever tasted. It was definitely the first empty plate at the picnic.
I have been searching for this recipe for decades! Absolutely delicious 🤤 the only problem now is, I can’t stop eating them 🤣
This recipe is fabulous. Sandwiches are a massive hit and gobbled up whenever I bring them to a function. I love the tip about shredding the meat. Thank you
Delicious! Make the filling ahead…saves alot of time when you go to make the sandwiches.
these are delicious!! I omitted the walnuts for allergies.
Nutrition info? I know you usually put nutrition info at the end of a recipe, but I do not see it!
Put it into My Fitness Pal. About 463 calories per serving.
It was so extremely delicious. I’ve been living in Sicily, Italy for 11 years now and wanted to surprise my family with something new(at least for them). They loved it a lot and there were no leftovers 😍. Thank you for the great recipe.
Love this recipe just for ordinary lunch box sandwiches!
Question – has anyone tried freezing the filling?
Only four stars as I really didn’t like the texture. It was like chicken paste. The recipe said to shred the chicken as finely as you can. I wish that I hadn’t shredded it quite so much. That said the flavour is quite nice so will probably make again. I made triple the amount for a birthday party tomorrow so I’m going to have to add in another rotisserie chicken not quite so shredded to try and fix them 🙁
Yes I know what you mean. Although I enjoyed it I did comment to a few at the gathering that it reminded me of ‘Pecks’ paste! Not sure if you grew up with that.
What type of bread does the author recommend for the chicken sandwiches, and why?
Delicious recipe. If you have gluten free in your family cut rounds of cucumber and put the chicken on top. Can you freeze the mixture without mayo and sour cream and add once defrosted?