Cranberry Chicken Salad Sandwich

This cranberry chicken salad sandwich is part of the December lunch series. The chicken salad is made with chicken breast, dried cranberries, apple, nuts, and a dressing you can customize to your preference. It all goes on toasted ciabatta buns with mashed avocado and romaine lettuce. It’s great for a quick, to-go lunch that’s full of flavor.

Ingredients

To make this, you need the following ingredients for 4 sandwiches:

• Ciabatta rolls – 4 rolls. I prefer ciabatta for this recipe as it’s sturdy enough to hold all the ingredients and the bread doesn’t get soggy if you pack this ahead for lunch the morning before or even the night before. If packing ahead, see additional tips in the separate ‘Make-Ahead Tips’ section below.
• Shredded cooked chicken – 12 oz (340) cooked, about 1 lb-1.1lb raw before cooking. For this recipe, I’ve poached 3 chicken breasts (about 5-6 oz each). You can use rotisserie chicken if it’s easier.
• Dried cranberries – 1/3 cup.
• Apple – 1 apple. I’ve used a Gala apple with a drizzle of lemon juice on top after peeling and dicing it so it doesn’t brown. But great choices include Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Jazz.
• Walnuts – 1/3 cup walnut halves measured before chopping them.
• Dijon mustard – 1 tsp Dijon mustard.
• Lemon – 1 lemon (zest + 2 tbsp of lemon juice).
• Mayo – 2-3 tbsp (start with 2 tbsp and add as needed).
• Creme fraiche or Plain GreeK Yogurt – 2-3 tbsp (start with 2 tbsp and add as needed).
• Avocado – 1 avocado.
• Romaine Lettuce – 4 leaves of romaine lettuce.
• Fresh parsley – about 1 tbsp of finely chopped/minced parsley.
• Salt – 1 tsp kosher salt or sea salt flakes.
• Pepper – 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper.

Note for the dressing: While I’ve made this with half mayo and half creme fraiche, you can adjust by using either all mayo or all creme fraiche (or plain Greek yogurt). I’ve tried it with all combinations, and it all works.

Step 1: Prep all the ingredients.

• Walnuts: Chop the walnuts. For added flavor, you could toast the walnuts first for a few minutes in a dry pan over medium heat. Wait for them to cool down before chopping them.
• Fresh Parsley: Finely chop/mince the parsley with a chef’s knife.
• Lemon: Zest the lemon and squeeze the lemon juice (about 2 tbsp).
• Avocado: Mash the avocado with a pinch of salt and pepper and half a tablespoon of lemon juice.
• Apple: Peel and dice the apple. Drizzle half a tablespoon of lemon juice over it to keep it from browning.

Step 2: Make the chicken salad.

To a bowl, first add the mayo, creme fraiche/plain Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, the remaining lemon juice (about 1 tsbp), and the lemon zest. Mix everything well. Then add the shredded chicken, cranberries, diced apple, chopped walnuts, and minced fresh parsley. Mix and taste. Add more mayo or creme fraiche/plain yogurt (one tablespoon at a time) if it seems too dry.

For the picture, I’ve used 3 tbsp mayo and 3 tbsp creme fraiche.