Cherry Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich
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Fresh cherries & tarragon add delicious flavor to this easy Chicken Salad Sandwich recipe! It’s made with greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise for a healthy spin on a classic!
Chicken salad is one of of the easiest things to meal prep and eat throughout the week. It’s a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken and this version is both healthy and delicious!
Fresh sweet cherries are available from June through August, but frozen cherries can be found year-round. If fresh cherries can’t be found, simply thaw frozen cherries under cold running water and add them to the salad.
I like to serve my chicken salad sandwich open-faced on sourdough bread. I’ve also used multigrain gluten free bread to make this sandwich gluten fee. And I’ve tried the sandwich on butter croissants, which is Kurt’s favorite way to eat the sandwich!
No matter which way you serve it, the combination of sweet cherries, tart greek yogurt dressing and fresh tarragon, will make this the best chicken salad sandwich you’ve ever had!
How to make Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Combine plain greek yogurt, honey, dijon mustard, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl. Add fresh tarragon, green onions and black pepper to make the dressing for the salad.
In a large bowl, combine cooked, shredded chicken with chopped walnuts, fresh cherries and chopped celery. Add the dressing and stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, or until ready to serve.
Quick Tip: Leftover rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe because it’s already cooked and can easily be taken off the bone and shredded.
If you don’t have rotisserie chicken on hand, you can cook chicken breasts in a pressure cooker, Instant Pot or on the stove. For the traditional pressure cooker or Instant Pot recipe, simply cover the chicken breasts in liquid, either water or chicken broth, in the pressure cooker. Pressure cook the chicken for 7 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker or Instant Pot to pressure down, then remove the lid, remove the chicken and shred it.
For the stovetop method, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and sear for 1-2 minutes per side. Add 3/4 cup water or chicken broth, cover the skillet and allow to cook for 7-10 minutes. Remove the lid, remove the chicken from the skillet and shred the chicken.
To shred the chicken, use two forks on a cutting board, or use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to quickly shred the chicken.
Should chicken salad be served cold?
This chicken is meant to be served cold. After first making the sandwich, I recommend refrigerating it for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.
What can you serve chicken salad on?
Chicken salad can be served in a number of different ways, here are a few of my favorites.
- Open faced on toasted sourdough bread with fresh spinach
- On a butter croissant
- In lettuce wraps or endive spears (check out how I served Thai Chicken Salad on Endive Spears)
- Wrapped in a tortilla
- In pita bread
- On a toasted ciabatta roll
What goes with Chicken Salad Sandwiches?
If packing these Chicken Salad Sandwiches for lunch, a bag or chips, fruit or fresh veggies with hummus are easy sides that can be packed for lunch with the sandwich.
If you have a little extra time to make a side dish at home, I would highly recommend this Kale Apple Slaw, Roasted Tomato Soup or Quinoa Corn Salad as delicious side dish options!
How many calories are in chicken salad?
This chicken salad is 198 calories per serving. What you decide to serve the chicken salad on will determine any additional calories. A butter croissant is 231 calories, a slice of sourdough bread is 185 calories, a large flour tortilla is 218 calories and a large lettuce leaf is 4 calories.
If you’re looking for a low carb lunch option, the lettuce leaf is a great way to serve this chicken salad. The chicken salad itself is only 7 carbs per serving and a leaf of lettuce is less than 1 carb.
How long is chicken salad good for?
Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, chicken salad will stay good for 3-5 days.
For more great chicken salad recipe ideas, check out these 5 favorites!
- Mexican Chicken Salad Tacos
- BBQ Chicken Salad Sliders
- Greek Chicken Salad Pita Wraps
- Buffalo Chicken Salad Sliders
- Apricot Chicken Salad (from my friend Elizabeth at Bowl of Delicious!)
Cherry Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup greek yogurt
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
- 2 tbsp green onions, chopped
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
- ½ cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
- ¼ cup celery, chopped
Serving Options
- 4 slices bread, gluten free, sourdough or ciabatta
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 4 butter croissants
- 4 lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Combine the greek yogurt, honey and dijon mustard in a small bowl.
- Add the lemon juice and zest, tarragon, green onions and black pepper.
- In a large bowl combine the shredded chicken, walnuts, cherries and celery.
- Add the dressing to the chicken salad and stir to combine.
- Place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
- If serving on bread, lightly toast the bread, then place 5-6 leaves of spinach on top of the bread, add the chicken salad and serve.
- To serve the chicken salad on a croissant, slice the croissant through the middle lengthwise, then add the spinach, if you'd like to the bottom half of the croissant, then top with the chicken salad and the top half of the croissant.
- To serve the chicken salad on lettuce leaves, simply add the salad to the leaves of lettuce.
Notes
- The nutrition information provided is for the chicken salad only. The serving options are not included.
- This recipe is gluten free when served on gluten free bread or in lettuce wraps.
- If fresh cherries can't be found, thaw frozen cherries under cold running water to use in the salad.
- Leftover rotisserie chicken works great for this recipe because it's already cooked and can easily be taken off the bone and shredded. If you don't have rotisserie chicken on hand, you can cook chicken breasts in a pressure cooker, Instant Pot or on the stove.
- For the traditional pressure cooker or Instant Pot recipe, simply cover the chicken breasts in liquid, either water or chicken broth, in the pressure cooker. Pressure cook the chicken for 7 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker or Instant Pot to pressure down, then remove the lid, remove the chicken and shred it.
- For the stovetop method, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet on the stove over medium heat, add the chicken breasts and sear for 1-2 minutes per side. Add 3/4 cup water or chicken broth, cover the skillet and allow to cook for 7-10 minutes. Remove the lid, remove the chicken from the skillet and shred the chicken.
- To shred the chicken, use two forks on a cutting board, or use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to quickly shred the chicken.
Nutrition Facts
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4 Comments on “Cherry Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich”
Looks yummy! Since cherries aren’t in season here yet, I guess I’ll have to wait…
Hi Lisa! While I do love fresh cherries in this chicken salad, I’ve also used defrosted frozen cherries and they work great as well!
Looks wonderful! I could use a hearty portion right now! 🙂
P-Kizzle, I’ll have to make this for you soon! It’s so delicious!