Craig Claiborne’s Chicken Salad Sandwich

Name: Craig Claiborne’s Chicken Salad Sandwich
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1 poached chicken, 3 1/2 pounds; 1 cup finely chopped celery; 1/2 cup finely chopped onion; 1/2 cup drained capers; 1/2 cup yogurt; 3/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste; salt to taste, if desired; freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley; 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions; 8 to 12 slices rye bread, either freshly toasted or left untoasted; Pickle strips, radishes or cherry tomatoes, for garnish

Recipe from Craig Claiborne

Adapted by The New York Times

Craig Claiborne’s Chicken Salad Sandwich — Rikki Snyder for The New York Times

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(1,693)
Notes: Read community notes

Originally printed in 1981, here is Craig Claiborne’s take on the classic chicken salad sandwich. In his version, a combination of mayonnaise (preferably homemade) and yogurt is used which yields a lighter, tangier sandwich filling. He calls for using poached chicken, but the leftover roast chicken from last night would work beautifully as well. —The New York Times

Featured in: Salads, Sandwiches, Sauces

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

1poached chicken, 3½ pounds
1cup finely chopped celery
½cup finely chopped onion
½cup drained capers
½cup yogurt
¾cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade
1tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste
salt to taste, if desired
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1tablespoon finely chopped parsley
2tablespoons finely chopped scallions
8 to 12slices rye bread, either freshly toasted or left untoasted
Pickle strips, radishes or cherry tomatoes, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Strip the cooked chicken meat from the bones and cut it into bitesize pieces. There should be about 3½ cups. Put the meat into a mixing bowl. Add the celery, onion and capers.
Step 2
Blend together the yogurt, mayonnaise and vinegar and add to the chicken mixture. Add salt, pepper, parsley and scallions and toss to blend.
Step 3
Use the bread to make sandwiches, garnished, if desired, with pickle strips, radishes, cherry tomatoes or any garnish of your choice.

Tip

To poach a chicken, put it in a pot breast-side down. Add 1 cup each coarsely chopped celery and onion, ¾ cup coarsely chopped or sliced carrots, 1 clove garlic, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, salt to taste, 12 whole peppercorns and 3 sprigs parsley. Add cold water to just barely cover the chicken (about 10 cups). Cover and bring to a boil. Let simmer very slowly for about 45 minutes. Let chicken stand in the cooking liquid until ready to serve. (Leftover broth can be reduced further until desired strength.)

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Ratings

5 out of 5

1,693 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Marcy Smothers6 years ago

Seriously cool to make something from the Master. I used organic rotisserie chicken from my local market using both the breast and thigh meat. I switched out romaine lettuce cups for the bread - it added crunch and saved carb calories.

[email protected]6 years ago

Leave out capers and one type of onion. No bread. Add grapes and walnuts on some occasions.

StylinGirl5 years ago

I LOVEthis recipe! I subbed Costco chicken salad but otherwise recipe was spot on! (It's joke, people!)

J. Darken6 years ago

Made this as the recipe directed - poached the chicken and all. Only variation was sour cream in place of yogurt - it was what I had on hand. Put the chicken salad on toasted croissants - everyone liked it!

Joshua6 years ago

Made this sans capers and scallions but added one peeled Granny Smith Apple to bring it some sweetness. Wonderful recipe all around.

Ali Litts5 years ago

The first day we ate this, we ate it as sandwich filling and it worked great. I had about half leftover so a day or so later, I boiled eggs and a potato. I chopped up the potato and added it with a little mayo to the chicken salad. I put some lettuce in individual serving bowls and put the chicken/potato salad on top. I peeled and sliced the eggs and placed them on top of the salad and sprinkled paprika on it. Worked perfectly to transform the original salad into a different, tasty meal.

Lisa6 years ago

Another reason to buy a rotisserie chicken: throw the already-roasted bones into that bag of bones in your freezer. When you have enough bones, make stock or bone broth.

Doni6 years ago

A fresh chicken salad made with a well seasoned poached or roasted chicken is so perfect. I like the yogurt and vinegar addition for tang and to offset the mayo. Not a huge fan of capers, I usually leave them out. There are so many additions you can make to this recipe, fine diced apple, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and a pinch of ground sage are my favorites for fall.

Cindy6 years ago

Third time I have made this. I added 1/4 c. Lo fat sour cream (instead of yogurt) and 1/2 c. Mayonnaise. Added 1 Fuji apple, chopped, and chopped walnuts to the basic recipe. This was my ideal chicken salad.

Jim A5 years ago

Best Chicken Salad I've Ever Had, this is awesome. Capers, Red Wine Vinegar, Scallions, and the beat goes on........

Andre Balzereit6 years ago

Great sandwich, especially on hot days. I left out the capers and added 1 cup shredded carrots and 1/2 cup grated parmesan - delicious!

Lotz a Bling6 years ago

I would blend the mayo, vinegar and yogurt, refrigerate for 15 mins. or more then add to the rest of ingredients.

colette6 years ago

Made this with rotisserie turkey and used shallots instead of the onion, since I had them on hand. Made the homemade mayo too, very simple! The yogurt (I used Greek) is so nice and tangy and I love the flavor of the capers & fresh herbs. Delicious!

KLN6 years ago

Omit onion and capers and add tarragon! Also use rice wine vinegar to bring out the sweetness in the tarragon.

Elaine K6 years ago

Try a slice of s sweet and crunchy apple, Fuji or other, layered over the chicken with or without iceberg lettuce.
Mm mm, crunchy and tasty.

Laura4 days ago

Absolutely delicious! Capers are a nice touch but if you add them don’t add any additional salt since they are already salty. I forgot capers were salty and I wish I hadn’t added any additional salt but otherwise came out perfect! I followed the poached chicken recipe as well and it came out perfectly!

LP4 weeks ago

Loved it. Really good spread on crackers with a splash of Tabasco if you’re snacky-dinner inclined.

ada amelia1 month ago

I didn’t have celery, forgot parsley, skipped onion, subbed sour cream for yogurt, chopped pickle and mixed in. Amazing good. Had on toast with a thick slice of heirloom tomato. Heaven.

Rebecca1 month ago

Also want to add, that next time I will try it with tarragon instead of parsley; however, maybe I live in a tarragon dessert, it's becoming more difficult to find tarragon in grocery stores. Why is that?

Rebecca1 month ago

Another yummy Craig Claiborne recipe. This will become my go-to chicken salad recipe. I poached two chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken but made it as is. Added dried cherries that my lovely neighbor brought me from Northern Michigan. This earns a spot in my "Favorites" folder.

Angela1 month ago

This really is the best chicken salad. Was skeptical but the capers (used full amount) and vinegar are the key. My only note is that I don’t think 3.5 cups of chicken is enough for the dressing amount. I roasted 4 bone in breasts that totaled 3.5 pounds rather than a whole chicken. That amount netted about 4.5 cups of chicken (maybe a little more). I added a bit more celery, onion and parsley and dressing amount was perfect

Shelly Friedland3 months ago

To make a great chicken salad, the chicken should be torn or shredded & not cut. The resulting texture adds immensely to the taste.

lauren w.5 months ago

This was the hit of my office lunch party! I used a whole chicken I had roasted the night before, used red onion and green onion. the capers are just the perfect touch!!

ed6 months ago

Great chic salad. Toasted rye. Slice of Swiss cheese. Hot sauce. Perfect.

karen b6 months ago

I would advise adding the capers a little at a time and tasting as you go. I love the yogurt/mayo combo for the extra tangy flavor.

VR4610 months ago

Great recipe. Also works well with canned tuna

Nicole Langford11 months ago

I made this about 4 years ago and followed the recipe perfectly and loved it, but found I do not care for capers. I made it yesterday and used creme fraiche in place of the yogurt and omitted the capers. I also used the new wine salt from Trader Joe's for seasoning (and pepper of course) and it is still the best chicken salad and the perfect way to make sure my Costco rotisserie chicken doesn't go to waste. lol It has 5 stars for a reason!

D411 months ago

Poached skinless chicken breasts in milk; omitted capers and yogurt, added chopped red grapes and walnuts in addition to the celery and red onion, substituted rice vinegar for wine vinegar. Added tarragon also - letting all meld overnight, but cook’s samples were delicious! Holding off on scallions for the minute. Using only 2 chicken breasts, this made a very large quantity; appreciate the clever suggestions on how to incorporate multiple ways so I don’t need to waste any of it.

Name Kim11 months ago

This was good.

Christina11 months ago

Have made the past two Sundays, exactly as written, as lunch for the week. This recipe is fabulous and wouldn’t change a thing.

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