How to Spice Up a Chicken Salad Sandwich

No doubt you already have a tried-and-true recipe for chicken salad. I know I do.  I love chicken salad, whether it's served on a salad, on crackers, in a sandwich, or in a wrap.  Like most of my recipes,  my chicken salad recipe is vague on measurements.  I don't bother with the measuring cups and teaspoons, I just mix it up to taste.


My base chicken salad recipe calls for:

• Diced cooked chicken (leftover roasted chicken is best; I'll use canned chicken in a pinch but nobody really likes it)
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Finely diced celery (The Pea doesn't like celery, so when I'm feeling kind I leave it out, but mostly she has to pick it out)
• Salt and pepper

Note, I said "base" instead of "basic", because while that recipe is yummy, it gets boring.  It makes a good chicken salad, it doesn't make a great one.  If you really want to give your chicken salad a kick, try adding any of these ingredients:

• Add sliced apples and walnuts.
• Add halved grapes and almonds.
• Add crushed pineapples and pecans.
• Add curry powder and mango chutney.
• Add red pepper flakes and pesto.
• Add sliced kalamata olives and paprika.
• Add finely sliced spring onions and lemon juice.
• Add rosemary and smoked almonds
• Substitute a portion of the regular mayonnaise with wasabi mayonnaise. How much wasabi mayo you use depends on how much heat you can stand!
• Substitute a portion of the regular mayonnaise (or all of it!) with hummus.

Don't add them all at once, of course!  And add them sparingly, tasting with each addition (I follow the design-test-evaluate methodology because I get lots of opportunities to taste!).  If you're making a sandwich or a wrap, pack a generous scoop of salad onto bread or a wrap (if you're feeling extra naughty, butter the bread first!).  Then add a layer of any of the following:

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Cheese
• Lettuce
• Spinach

Yum yum yum.  What ingredients do you like to add to your chicken salad to spice it up?