Rotisserie Chicken Salad Sandwich

Why You’ll Love This

Easy: If you’re methodical and prepare the ingredients and then combine them, you’ll find it really easy to make this delicious chicken salad recipe.
Tasty: You simply can’t beat the flavor of homemade chicken salad. Nothing from a can or container could ever taste this fresh!
Popular: Make this easy chicken salad and you’ll find it disappears fast! Whether you’re making it as a sandwich filling option, for a buffet or simply to use up rotisserie chicken, you might like to make a double batch, because people simply can’t get enough of this creamy salad!

Chicken Salad Sandwich Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below

Rotisserie chicken: I grab a rotisserie chicken just about every time I go to the store, because it’s so versatile and tasty. You can make chicken salad sandwiches, quesadillas and so much more using rotisserie chicken or even canned chicken.
Vegetables: Add the color and crunch to your homemade chicken salad that canned and packaged salads just don’t have, with the addition of carrots, celery, red onion, and peas.
Mayonnaise: The creamy combination of mayonnaise with mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt, paprika, and black pepper makes such a tasty, creamy dressing for the shredded chicken salad. For the richest flavor, use full-fat mayo.

How to Make Chicken Salad

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card

Prepare the chicken: Peel off the rotisserie chicken skin and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Put the chicken skin and carcass in one large bowl and the shredded chicken meat in another.
Prepare the veggies: Dice the carrots and celery, finely chop or mince the red onion and add to the shredded chicken. Mix in the frozen peas (they will thaw in the mix).
Make the dressing: Whisk the mayonnaise with the mustard and vinegar, then adjust the ingredients as needed, adding more mayo, mustard or mayo.
Mix the salad: Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss until well mixed.
The finishing touches: Add salt and pepper, then cover and chill for an hour or until the peas have thawed out. Sprinkles over the almonds and paprika right before serving.

Substitutions and Variations

No rotisserie chicken? If the store is all out of rotisserie chicken, you can substitute in cooked chicken breast or canned chicken.
Optional add-ins: Feel free to add other ingredients. Sweet ingredients like diced apples, pears or grapes, or chopped dried cranberries, raisins or currants will work, or for crunch you can add chopped pecans or chopped walnuts in place of the almonds, or maybe some toasted sunflower seeds. Chopped fresh dill, green grapes, garlic powder or corn kernels are more add-in options.
Swap the veggies: Feel free to omit any of the vegetables you don’t want to use. You can also swap the red onion for shallot or green onions in your chicken salad.
Reduced fat option: To cut down on saturated fat, use fat-free mayonnaise or your favorite fat-free dressing. Or swap half the mayo for fat-free Greek yogurt.

Serving Suggestions

This classic chicken salad recipe is lovely served in a sandwich or baked potato or as a side dish or on a bed of lettuce. If you’re making it as part of a potluck, picnic or buffet, here are some other dishes you might enjoy:
Appetizers:  This roasted red pepper cream cheese dip makes a great appetizer, as would crab cake egg rolls.
Side dishes: Pimento cheese sandwiches are another popular option if you’re serving a variety of dishes, or you might prefer to make truffle loaded nacho fries or mushroom risotto.

How to Store Chicken Salad

Store:  Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days. Because the almonds soften over time, it might be best to add those just before serving.
Freeze:  This recipe doesn’t freeze well.

Top Tips

Any chicken works: No rotisserie chicken left in the store? You can use canned chicken or even poach or grill some chicken breast and use that. If you’re more of a dark meat fan, thighs or chicken leg quarters are good too.
Enjoy it any way you want: You don’t have to make a chicken salad sandwich with this mixture. Feel free to serve it in a pita pocket or wrap, or even over mixed greens. Enjoy it with baked potatoes or with a simple green salad with a bowl of soup. This salad might become one of your favorite lunch recipes!