In honor of a big, nationwide one-day roasted chicken sale (U.S. and Canada), Whole Foods is sharing several wonderful end-of-summer and back-to-school recipes, including this one for tarragon chicken salad sandwiches.
The roasted chickens at Whole Foods are humanely raised, from farms certified by the Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating standards. They are also antibiotic free, made with organic seasonings, and on sale for $5 each – today only! The sale won’t last, but these tarragon chicken salad sandwiches can be made any day!
Brightened with fresh herbs and lemon juice, these tarragon chicken salad sandwiches will be a welcome item on your lunch menu. They are naturally dairy-free (indeed, mayonnaise is almost always dairy-free!) and even offer versatility for various dietary needs (see the special diet notes below).
Special Diet Notes & Options: Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally gluten-free, optionally nut-free, and peanut-free.
For egg-free and/or soy-free tarragon chicken salad sandwiches, choose your mayonnaise wisely. Vegan mayonnaise (such as Vegenaise) offers a great egg-free, option, and they also have a soy-free variety. If eggs are okay, then just seek out a mayo that isn’t made with soybean oil or other soy ingredients.
- 1¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 3) or leftover roasted chicken
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- ½ cup mayonnaise (use vegan mayonnaise for egg-free)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- ¼ cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted (omit for nut-free)
- 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 12 slices seeded rye, whole wheat, or gluten-free bread
- 6 romaine lettuce leaves
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- If cooking chicken, fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add chicken, cover and return to a boil. Simmer chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the chicken steep, covered, until no longer pink in the thickest part of the breast, 8 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a plate and let cool for approximately 20 minutes. (The chicken can be prepared a day ahead)
- In a medium bowl combine the celery, mayonnaise, mustard, onion, almonds, tarragon, lemon juice and pepper and stir to blend.
- Cut the chicken into ½-inch cubes, then fold it into the mayonnaise mixture.
- Arrange 6 slices of bread on a work surface. Divide the chicken salad equally among the bread slices. Top each with a lettuce leaf, slice of tomato and second slice of bread. Cut sandwiches in half and serve.
