Classic Chicken Salad Sandwiches

 

Who doesn’t love chicken salad? Well, perhaps some don’t, but if you’re here reading this, you’re likely one of the many who has a fond appreciation for this classic and versatile American dish. And while chicken salad can come in many forms and be served in different ways, we happen to be big fans of this recipe that comes courtesy of our friend Ashley Pelaez over at Millennial Kitchen.

This innovative recipe combines shredded rotisserie chicken with a classic dressing combination and serves it on top of a bed of fresh ingredients and dressing from our Dill Pickle Chopped Salad Kit. It’s all loaded neatly inside a hot dog bun and topped off with the kit’s dill-pickle-seasoned brioche crouton crumbles, giving each bit an extra briney kick of flavor and texture. Yeah, you may want to bookmark this one for your next backyard summer get-together, because it’s definitely going to impress. 

Ingredients

  • 1 Taylor Farms Dill Pickle Chopped Salad Kit
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, light or dark meat (I like a mix of both)
  • 2 Tablespoons Mayo
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
  • 1 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Pepper
  • Pinch of Garlic Powder
  • Pinch of Paprika
  • 6 Brioche Hot Dog Buns

Directions

  1. Shred your rotisserie chicken. Doing so while it is still warm helps more of the dressing get absorbed into the meat.
  2. To assemble the dressing, combine: mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder & paprika until there are no lumps & all ingredients are incorporated.
  3. Pour the dressing over the shredded chicken & toss so all chicken is coated in dressing. The chicken salad can sit in the fridge overnight to let the flavors develop, or it can chill for 30 minutes before serving.
  4. Fill each bun with Taylor Farms Dill Pickle Chopped Kit & top with chicken salad. Garnish with remaining breadcrumbs & enjoy!

What Came First? The Chicken or the Salad?

Chicken salad is considered a timeless mainstay in the realm of American cuisine. But where did it even come from? Since chicken salad has many different forms and definitions, it’s hard to pinpoint who was actually first to come up with the idea of mixing shredded chicken with some kind of binder and a few other ingredients, but one of the first published accounts can be found in Sarah Rutledge’s The Carolina Housewife: Or, House and Home, a cookbook published back in 1847. Her version consisted of a homemade mayonnaise mixed with mustard and cold chicken, but you could also opt to throw in shrimp or oysters with some red pepper—something she considered, in her own words, “an improvement.” 

Sixteen years after Sarah’s cookbook swept through the south, the first definitive version of what we now know as chicken salad was popularized way up in Wakefield, Rhode Island, at a place known simply as Town Meats. Liam Gray, the original owner of the meat market, mixed his leftover chicken with mayonnaise, tarragon, and grapes, and the people loved it. In fact, the dish became so popular that the meat market was converted to a delicatessen—chicken salad had truly arrived. So, the next time you make a fresh batch of this glorious American delicacy, be sure to tip your cap to Sarah and Liam for helping make it all possible.  

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