Chicken salad sandwiches. Mmmmm.
We don’t mean salads WITH chicken; we 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.
So when you’re hankering for a little comfort, this is the version to make.
Griddled Chicken Salad Sandwich on Rye is from a recipe by J.M. Hirsch.Griddled Chicken Salad Sandwich on Rye
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 tomato slices
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, fennel seeds and hot sauce. Mix in the pickles, celery and chicken until everything is well coated.
Use the butter to coat 1 side of each slice of bread. For each sandwich, top the unbuttered side of 1 slice of bread with a slice of cheese, then half of the chicken salad. Gently press 2 tomato slices into the chicken salad, then top with another slice of cheese and a second slice of bread, buttered side up.
Heat a medium skillet over medium-high. Set the sandwiches in the skillet, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly golden. Use a spatula to carefully flip the sandwich and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board and let rest for 2 minutes. Cut into halves and serve immediately.
Start to finish: 15 minutes.
Servings: 2.