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Add a spicy twist to a classic favorite with this chicken salad sandwich with chili crisp! Creamy, savory chicken salad gets an irresistible kick from the bold, smoky heat of chili crisp, creating a perfect balance of flavors. Piled high on your favorite bread or toast, this sandwich is ideal for lunch, picnics, or quick dinners. Chili crisp, sesame seeds, green onions, and salted peanuts infuse this Western classic with delicious Eastern appeal.
This chicken salad sandwich with chili crisp makes a really delicious lunch. The salad brings together both Western and Asian flavors for a mouthwatering hybrid meal.
You might also like this similar rotisserie chicken salad sandwich, some tasty chicken Philly sandwiches, or these classic pimento cheese sandwiches.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy to make: Combine the ingredients for the chicken salad and serve it with lettuce between 2 slices of sandwich bread.
A speedy recipe: You’re starting out with cooked chicken, so you should be able to make the recipe in just 5 to 10 minutes.
Fab fusion flavors: The creamy richness of classic chicken salad contrast with wonderful Asian flavors such as sesame seeds and chili crisp for a deliciously different sandwich.
Chicken Salad with Chili Crisp Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Chicken: You can use cooked chicken breasts, legs or thighs, as you prefer.
Chili crisp: Also known as chili crunch, this crunchy, spicy condiment is made with oil, chilies, aromatics like tingly Sichuan pepper, crunchy shallots and garlic, tasty spices, and crispy bits such as fried soybeans or peanuts.
Mayonnaise: Use full-fat mayo for the richest flavor. Kewpie mayo is a Japanese-style mayo made with egg yolks and it’s richer-flavored and more creamy than Western mayo, but any kind is fine for this recipe (you can find Kewpie mayo here!)
Greek yogurt: Swap some of the mayonnaise for Greek yogurt for a lighter result.
Sesame seeds: Black and white sesame seeds add crunch to the sandwiches.
Salted peanuts: For even more crunch!
Sandwich bread: Use thick-sliced bread if you’re going to add a generous amount of filling.
Lettuce: Optional but good. You can use red or green lettuce to make your sandwich extra delicious.
How to Make Spicy Chicken Salad Sandwiches
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare the chicken salad: Mix the chopped chicken with mayonnaise, chili crisp, white and black sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, and green onions in a large bowl, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Assemble the sandwiches: Serve a scoop of chicken salad mixture between bread slices, adding some lettuce if liked.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free bread or serve over steamed rice.
Low carb version: Instead of serving lettuce in the sandwich, wrap the chicken salad in large lettuce leaves and omit the bread altogether.
Chicken: A store-bought rotisserie chicken is handy for making these sandwiches. Just let it cool first. Any part of the chicken that can be chopped or shredded works great.
Dairy-free: Make sure you’re using dairy-free mayo (most is, but not all).
Turkey: If you have some cold pre-cooked turkey, it can easily be swapped out for the chicken.
Nuts: If you don’t have peanuts, feel free to substitute chopped almonds or cashews.
Citrus: Add a squeeze of lemon juice or lime juice.
More spice: Red pepper flakes or extra chili flakes really makes the chili crisp pop.
Cilantro: You can add some minced fresh cilantro to the filling.
Greens: Use iceberg lettuce, spinach, arugula, or any leafy green of your choice.
Other Toppings: If you make a sandwich, it also goes well with tomatoes, sprouts, cucumber slices, bacon, and/or pickled red onions.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Enjoy pork potstickers or a bowl of soup.
Side dishes: A chicken salad sandwich with chili crisp pairs well with potato chips, dill pickles or an iceberg wedge salad.
Desserts: Serve Texas sheet cake cookies or pineapple upside down cupcakes to finish.
How to Store Chili Crisp Chicken Salad
Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze the chicken salad for up to a month. Keep in mind that some brands of mayonnaise might separate or become watery upon thawing.
Thaw: Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and stir well before use.
Top Tips
Extra-speedy version: Start out with shredded cooked chicken to save time cooking and shredding or chopping it.
Cubed vs. shredded chicken: Cubed chicken has a meatier texture than shredded, but either one will work in these chili crisp chicken sandwiches.
Serving temperature: You can serve the chicken salad sandwich with chili crisp chilled or a little warmer.
Meal prep: Make the salad a day or so ahead, then keep it refrigerated until you want to assemble the sandwiches.
Season to taste: You can add salt and/or black pepper if needed.
Chili Crisp Chicken Salad Sandwich FAQs
You can get chili crisp at any major grocery store. Check the international or Asian aisle. The most popular and readily available brands are Lao Gan Ma or Fly By Jing, but any brand will work just fine.
No. Feel free to add the salad to fresh green, eat with crackers, or chips instead!
Umami rich mushroom powder would be good or you could stir fiery chili oil for a bolder kick of spice. Tingly Sichuan pepper livens up the mixture further if you have some, or you could add French fried onions for more crunch.
Chicken Salad Sandwich with Chili Crisp Recipe
Chicken Salad Sandwich with Chili Crisp
Equipment
- Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
For the Chicken Salad:
- 1 Pound chicken, cooked and cubed, approx. 2 breasts or 2 legs and thighs
- ½ Cup mayonnaise
- ¼ Cup chili crisp
- 1 Tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds
- ¼ Cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
- ¼ Cup green onions, chopped
- salt and black pepper, to taste
To Serve:
- 6 Slices sandwich bread
- lettuce, green or red leaf
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except the bread and lettuce to a medium bowl.
- Mix together and adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Scoop the chicken salad mixture onto 3 bread slices and add lettuce.
- Add the remaining bread slices on top and cut in half to make 6 servings.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have leftover cooked chicken and a craving for a tasty sandwich, you have to try this amazing chicken salad sandwich with chili crisp. The spicy chili crunch is so good and this sandwich is nice served chilled. It’s a great lunch option for cool or warmer weather and you’re going to love how the sandwiches provide creamy richness along with a refreshing crunch.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
