Recreate the classic delight of a Chick Fil A Chicken Salad Sandwich with this easy copycat recipe! Experience the perfect blend of tender grilled chicken and a medley of flavorful ingredients with a creamy dressing. Pile this delectable mixture onto your favorite bread for a sandwich that’s both comforting and satisfying. Find out how to make the best Chick-Fil-A chicken salad sandwich at home.
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What Makes the Chick Fil A Chicken Salad Sandwich So Good?
Sometimes, there’s nothing better than a simple sandwich to satisfy your hunger, especially when it’s as delicious as a Chicken Salad Sandwich Chick fil A style! The sandwich’s creamy, perfectly seasoned chicken salad combines wonderfully with the crunch of lettuce and the tang of juicy tomato, all held together with toasted sweet honey whole wheat bread. Too bad you can’t buy it at Chick-fil-A these days.
Why Did Chick-fil-A Stop Selling Chicken Salad Sandwich?
Back in 2017, when Chick-fil-A stopped serving its much-loved Chicken Salad Sandwich, fans weren’t happy. In fact, discontinuing the sandwich led to an outpouring of anger by loyal customers. In response, the chain claimed it was a difficult but necessary decision aimed at freeing up space for fresher tasting options, and released the recipe to quell some of the backlash.
Why You Should Try This Recipe Chick fil A Chicken Salad Sandwich
Sure, Chick-fil-A released the original recipe online years ago, but there’s just one small catch. The main ingredient in the recipe calls for “Chick-fil-A Chicken Breasts (original or grilled),” and the chain didn’t reveal how to make those since they’re still on the menu.
That leaves folks craving a Chicken Salad Sandwich Chick fil A style with two options. Either they buy and disassemble the sandwich or try recreating the chicken at home. This copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad Sandwich recipe clarifies the volume of ingredients in the original recipe and shares a darn good version of Chick-fil-A’s grilled chicken patty, making it easy to prepare the chicken salad from scratch in your own kitchen!
Chick Fil A Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe Ingredients
For the grilled chicken you’ll need:
- Chicken breast
- Dill pickle juice
- Buttermilk
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Celery salt
- Olive oil
For the chicken salad recipe, you’ll need:
- Marinated chicken
- Celery
- Sweet pickle relish
- Mayonnaise
- Hard-boiled eggs, peeled
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
For the sandwich, you’ll need:
- Honey wheat bread with oat topping
- Green leaf lettuce leaves
- Tomato
How to Make This Chick fil A Chicken Salad Sandwich Copycat Recipe
To prepare the grilled chicken:
- Trim any remaining skin or fat from the chicken breasts and marinate the chicken in a plastic bag or mixing bowl with the dill pickle juice and buttermilk. For the best results, marinate the chicken for two to three hours, but if you are in a rush, 30 minutes will do.
- Preheat the grill to 350°F. You can use a grill pan or cast iron pan if you don’t have a grill.
- While the grill is heating up, whisk together the salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and celery salt.
- Dry the chicken and sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with the seasonings.
- Lightly oil the grill with the olive oil.
- Cook the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the internal temperature is at least 165°F.
- Transfer the chicken to a wire rack placed over a baking tray to cool.
To prepare the chicken salad:
- Dice the cooled chicken breasts into large pieces and add to the bowl of a food processor.
- Chop the celery into pieces and add it to the food processor’s bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients (mayo, sweet relish, boiled eggs) except salt and black ground pepper to the food processor. Pulse a few times or until it reaches your desired consistency. You can cut all the ingredients into tiny pieces if you don’t have a food processor.
- Remove the chicken salad from the bowl of the food processor and season with salt and ground black pepper.
- Place the chicken salad in a bowl, cover, and chill.
To assemble the sandwich:
- Toast the honey wheat bread.
- While the bread is toasting, rinse and dry the lettuce. Slice the tomato. Set both aside for later.
- Place one piece of lettuce on a slice of toasted bread. Add a slice of tomato. Top with a good amount of chicken salad. Cover with another piece of toasted bread.
- Cut and serve.
What to Serve With a Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad Sandwich
There are endless possibilities for sides with this recipe. Although a bag of potato chips is an easy and tasty option, here are a few more that may be a little more interesting:
- Coleslaw. Creamy and crunchy at the same time, everyone loves traditional coleslaw. Want something a little different? Try Hawaiian Coleslaw With Pineapple.
- Soup. There’s nothing more comforting than hot soup. Double up on the chicken with a classic Chicken Noodle Soup, or sneak in the veggies with a cup of Three Cheese Broccoli Soup.
- Fruit Salad. Add a touch of sweetness to your meal with a fruit salad. Try drizzling Jason’s Deli Fruit Dip on top of the fruit salad for a little tang.
How to Store This Chick fil A Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe
Keep the chicken salad in the fridge inside an airtight container. The longer you store it, the softer the eggs and celery will become.
How Long Does Chicken Salad Last
This Chick fil A Chicken Salad Sandwich copycat recipe should keep for up to three days when stored correctly.
Love the food at Chick Fil A? Try these copycat chicken recipes!
- Chicken Nuggets
- Cobb Salad
- Cool Wrap
- Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich
- Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Favorite Sandwich Recipes
- Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich
- Ham Salad Sandwich
- McDonald’s Bacon Ranch McCrispy
- Loose Meat Sandwich
- Panera Frontega Chicken Sandwich
- Subway Tuna Sandwich
- Turkey Devonshire
Check out more of my easy sandwich recipes and the best copycat Chick Fil A recipes on CopyKat!
Chick Fil A Chicken Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken
- 16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 cup dill pickle juice
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil to brush the grill
Chicken Salad
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Sandwich Assembly
- honey wheat bread with oat topping
- green leaf lettuce
- tomato slices
Instructions
- Place the chicken, dill pickle juice, and buttermilk in a zipper bag. Place the bag in the fridge, and let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes, but preferably for several hours.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and celery salt. Remove the chicken from the marinade and season on both sides with the seasoning blend.
- Heat the grill to 350°F or use a grill pan. Brush the grill with oil.
- Place the chicken on the grill. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Remove the chicken from the grill, let it cool, and chop it into 1-inch cubes.
- Place the chicken, celery, sweet pickle relish, mayonnaise, and hard-boiled eggs into a food processor. Pulse a few times until the chicken has a very fine texture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Lightly toast 2 slices of bread. To build the sandwich, place a few lettuce leaves on one slice of bread followed by a few tomato slices and some chicken salad. Place the other slice of bread on top.
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