I have a serious comfort food association with chicken salad sandwiches. Particularly in summer.
That’s when Mom made them for me for lunch. And I don’t mean salads with chicken (the “ugh” of the healthy menu at fast-casual restaurants). I mean the sloppy, sticky diner-style chicken salads all gloopy with mayonnaise, speckled with sweet pickle relish and studded with crunchy bits of chopped celery. And the best part of the chicken salad? Those clumps that oozed out from between the bread slices to land with a plop on the plate. I ate those with my fingers.
My tastes have become a bit more sophisticated since those days. Though not by much. And I’m still partial to a hefty dose of mayo. So when I’m hankering for a little comfort in summer, this is the version I make now.
GRIDDLED CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH ON RYE
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Serves 2
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot sauce, to taste
1/4 cup bread and butter pickle slices, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 cup shredded cooked chicken meat
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 large slices rye bread
4 deli slices cheddar cheese
4 thick slice tomato
Nutrition information per serving: 740 calories; 410 calories from fat (55 percent of total calories); 46 g fat (19 g saturated; 0.5 g trans fats); 170 mg cholesterol; 1,100 mg sodium; 39 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 42 g protein.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.