Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwich is a must-try for your next lunch! The combination of refreshing chicken salad, butter lettuce, and flaky croissant is light, but satisfying. Whether you're picnicking or enjoying a quick lunch at home, this sandwich hits the spot.
This is our go to when we want an an elevated lunch without the fuss. While it takes just 15 minutes to make, the combination of uniquely flavored chicken salad and rich croissant is a balanced indulgence. In order to save time, we typically make the chicken the night before or use leftovers from our skillet chicken or roasted chicken.
Looking for other delicious sandwich recipes? Try our tuna salad sandwich or our caprese sandwich.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Chicken Salad Sandwich
- Taste - The combination of rich chicken salad, butter lettuce, and tangy dressing makes a great bite.
- Texture - The chicken salad is tender and creamy, the butter lettuce adds a little crunch, and the croissant is flaky and airy.
- Effort - All you need to do is mix the cooked chicken with the other ingredients then add it to a croissant.
- Time - It takes about 15 minutes to make the chicken salad and assemble the sandwich.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken - The chicken is tender and cut into small chunks.
- Seedless grapes - Grapes provide a sweet counterpoint to the savory chicken, walnuts, shallots, and scallions.
- Apples - Apples are sweet and tart. Our favorites are honey crisp and fuji.
- Walnuts - Chopped walnuts add a rich heartiness.
- Celery - Chopped celery adds a little crunch and brightness.
- Shallot and scallions - Shallot and scallions provide a light onion flavor.
- Dressing - The dressing is tangy, bright, and brings the flavor together.
- Croissant - Croissants are buttery, flaky, and underrated as sandwich bread.
- Romaine lettuce - The romaine is crisp and refreshing.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Bread - This sandwich will also be delicious on your favorite bread or a baguette.
- Wrap - Enjoy the chicken salad in a tortilla wrap or lettuce wrap for a lighter option.
- Greek yogurt - Replace mayonnaise with Greek yogurt or use half Greek yogurt and mayo for a lighter, healthier option.
- Chicken salad - Follow our recipe for Chicken Waldorf Salad or use your favorite chicken salad of choice! Some great substitutions include chicken Caesar salad, chicken salad with hardboiled egg, curried chicken salad, and classic chicken salad.
- Mini croissants - Use mini croissants to make small tea sandwiches for kids and parties. They make a great appetizer!
- Pickles - Add a layer of pickles or enjoy with cornichons for a delicious tangy addition!
Chicken Salad Sandwich Instructions
- Make dressing - To a large mixing bowl, add mayonnaise and/or greek yogurt, dijon mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. Then stir until combined. (Photo 1 and 2)
- Make salad - Add chicken, diced apple, halved grapes, chopped walnuts, diced celery, minced shallot, and thinly sliced scallions to the bowl. Then fold the ingredients until they are evenly coated in the dressing. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl while folding to ensure you incorporate all of the dressing. (Photo 3 and 4)
- Assemble sandwich - Lay the croissant bottoms cut side up on a serving plate. Place 1-2 slices of lettuce on each bottom. Then add a scoop of chicken salad on top of each lettuce leaf and spread it out so the croissant tops sit flat on the chicken salad. Place the croissant tops on each sandwich and gently press down. (Photo 5, 6, and 7)
- Serve - Arrange the sandwiches on a serving plate and enjoy. (Photo 8)
Pro tip - Lightly toast the croissant for a crispy exterior. Just make sure to only toast the croissant briefly because it can burn easily.
Sandwich Tips
- Chop all of your ingredients to be a similar size for even distribution throughout the salad.
- Don't overstuff the sandwich or the chicken salad may fall out when you press the bread together while eating it.
Recipe FAQ
What is the best type of chicken for chicken salad?
We love a cast iron chicken breast or whole roasted chicken.
Can I make chicken salad ahead of time?
Yes, we usually make a big batch of chicken salad then enjoy it in a croissant one day and in a wrap or on its own the following day.
Related Recipes
Love This Recipe?
Love this easy chicken salad sandwich recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below & leave a comment below.
Sign up for THP's newsletter and keep in touch on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube. If you make this recipe, tag #theheirloompantry so we can see your homemade chicken salad croissantwich!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwich
Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwich is a must-try for your next lunch! The combination of refreshing chicken salad, butter lettuce, and flaky croissant is light, but satisfying. Whether you're picnicking or enjoying a quick lunch at home, this sandwich hits the spot.
Servings: 6
Calories: 436kcal
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise or half mayo and half greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Chicken Salad
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1 crisp apple cored and diced, honey crispy, granny apple, fuji apple
- ½ cup seedless grapes halved
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- â…” cup celery stalks about 2 medium celery stalks, diced
- 1 small shallot minced
Sandwich
- 4-8 butter or romaine lettuce leaves
- 4 croissants sliced in half lengthwise
Instructions
- Make dressing - To a large mixing bowl, add mayonnaise and/or greek yogurt, dijon mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir until combined.½ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Make salad - Add chicken, diced apple, halved grapes, chopped walnuts, diced celery, minced shallot, and thinly sliced scallions to the bowl. Fold the ingredients until they are evenly coated in the dressing. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl while folding to ensure you incorporate all of the dressing.2 cups diced cooked chicken, 1 crisp apple, ½ cup seedless grapes, ½ cup chopped walnuts, ⅔ cup celery stalks, 1 small shallot
- Assemble sandwich - Lay the croissant bottoms cut side up on a serving plate. Place 1-2 slices of lettuce on each bottom. Then, add a scoop of chicken salad on top of each lettuce leaf and spread it out so the croissant tops sit flat on the chicken salad. Place the croissant tops on each sandwich and gently press down. Serve and enjoy.4-8 butter or romaine lettuce leaves, 4 croissants
Video
Notes
Storage
- This sandwich is best enjoyed fresh. If you have leftovers, refrigerate the salad and sandwich bread in separate air-tight container for up to 3 days.
- Lightly toast the croissant for a crispy exterior. Just make sure to only do it briefly because the croissant can burn easily.
- Chop all ingredients to be a similar size so they will be evenly distributed throughout the salad.
-
Nutrition
Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 502mg | Potassium: 299mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 2024IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @theheirloompantry or tag #theheirloompantry!
Paula
I made this for lunch yesterday, loved how light the chicken salad was. I didn’t have a croissant so used sourdough.