Simple Summer Entertaining – Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Nothing screams a summer dish like chicken salad.  Part 2 of Simple Summer Entertaining is a recipe for chicken salad sandwiches that are light, easy and delish.

Hold the Mayo

Okay, this step is not for everyone.  When we do use mayo, we use light mayo, but it still has a heavy texture to me and I don’t like the sweetness of mayo. 

If you’re a mayo user though, sub all or half the sour cream with mayo.

Most of my go-to homemade dressings involve:

• Sour cream or mayo
• Mustard (Dijon or yellow)
• Vinegar (white or red wine)
• Tabasco
• Salt and pepper to taste

I’ll include the instructions I use to make this sandwich, but if you like yours more creamy, more herby (tarragon!), sweeter, it’s easy to adapt to your taste.

Add the Veggies

Any chance I get to whip out my Mueller vegetable chopper is a win for me.  The small blades are just perfect for tiny cubes of carrot and celery to add to a sandwich spread.

Chicken salad sandwiches are so good with dill pickles, red or green onion, crisp lettuce.  A little creativity and cleaning out the produce bin might lead to a happy surprise so add what you have.

My California girl, Cassandra, would probably add some avocado to this!

Other Ingredients

The summer sandwiches are very simple, but adding grape halves, toasted almonds or walnuts are favorites.

The Star of the Show

Precooked, shredded and chilled chicken make this a hit.

Poaching chicken breast is about the easiest thing in the world.  Throwing a couple in the crockpot when you have extra time is the easiest yet.  Let it cool and shred it with two forks or use the Kitchenaid method.Mid-Week Retreat

Rotisserie chicken works great for chicken salad too and you can add some chunks of dark meat for a different texture if you like.

But this time we had can of chicken breast that really made prep a snap.  If you’re looking for a quick meal sure to please your guests or your family, a large can of chicken really dolls up easily.

Warning:  canned chicken is very salty.  Consider rinsing it off if you’re watching your salt or don’t care for the taste.

Bonus:  The kitties got to drink the broth I drained from the can.

Minimize the Mess

The fewer the bowls and utensils I clean, the happier I am.  The Mueller vegetable chopper bowl held all the chopped veggies and I threw the ingredients for the dressing into the same bowl as the canned chicken.

And the bowl I used to mix everything was the same bowl I used to store the leftovers.

Have I raved lately how much I love the Rubbermaid Brilliance Containers?  I use them every day and love them!

Serve it Up

One more brioche bun was left from my recent Trader Joe’s run, so you know a few leaves of lettuce and that chicken salad was going on a soft, warm bun.

Potato chips magically appeared on my plate as a side just in case the carrots, celery and lettuce weren’t crispy enough.

My Nevada girl, Jann, would certainly add chips!

If you’re entertaining a large group, these are so good on butter lettuce leaves, served open face, on small slider rolls – you name it.

I ate mine on a roll and hub had his open face on a piece of toasted gluten-free bread.

You know my Colorado girl, Julie, would not be eating hers on bread!

See, something for everyone.

Print Recipe

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Consider serving for Simple Summer Entertaining – this recipe is light, easy and delish.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 12.5 ounce can chicken breast, packed in water, drained
• ½ cup sour cream (more for a creamier consistency) I use "light"
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tsp white or red wine vinegar
• 2-3 dashes Tobasco sauce (more or less to taste) Optional
• 1 stalk celery, chopped small
• 1 medium carrot, chopped small

Instructions

• Add all ingredients, shredding chicken as dressing is mixed in. Top with red or green onion and serve on a roll, bread or lettuce leaves.