Chopped Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches

Turns out, your favorite salad makes a delicious sandwich. This chopped chicken Caesar salad sandwich recipe transforms the classic restaurant salad into an easy, portable lunch. Bring it to work! Pack it for a picnic! It’s as simple to make as any other cold sandwich, but it’s so flavorful that you can even serve it as the centerpiece at a potluck or backyard barbecue. If you love the garlicky, creamy flavor of Caesar salad, here’s a great way to eat it more often.

Ingredients for Chopped Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches

Canned chunk white chicken: Using canned chicken makes prepping lunch speedy. You can substitute finely chopped cooked chicken, too, or plan on this sandwich as a way to use leftover chicken.
Romaine: To make the sandwiches easy to eat, chop the romaine lettuce into small pieces. This helps the lettuce stay on the sandwich bread.
Cherry tomatoes: Finely chopping the tomatoes ensures that they’re evenly distributed. Orange cherry tomatoes are the sweetest.
Creamy Caesar salad dressing: While using bottled dressing is the speediest route to lunch, you can also make a batch of homemade Caesar dressing.
Shredded Parmesan cheese: Shredded or shaved fresh Parmesan is way more flavorful than the bottled stuff.
Ciabatta rolls: Chewy, crispy ciabatta is sturdy enough to hold all the sandwich toppings. Like croutons, they soak up extra dressing and add nice texture.
Freshly cracked black pepper: Grinding fresh pepper over a salad adds a little peppy heat.

Directions

Step 1: Toss the salad

Close-up shot of a fresh salad in a glass bowl featuring chopped lettuce; shredded chicken; diced tomatoes; shredded cheese; and creamy dressing on a marble counter with a white spoon beside it — DAN ROBERTS FOR TASTE OF HOME

In a large bowl, add the chopped cooked chicken, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, dressing and cheese.

This is a close-up shot of a glass bowl containing freshly chopped salad with lettuce; tomatoes; assorted vegetables; and creamy dressing; accompanied by a white serving spoon on a marble countertop — DAN ROBERTS FOR TASTE OF HOME

Stir until well combined.

Step 2: Top the rolls

This is an overhead shot. Two open-faced sandwiches with chopped chicken salad; crisp lettuce; and juicy tomatoes on toasted ciabatta bread sit on a light background; nearby is a bowl of leftover salad with a spoon — DAN ROBERTS FOR TASTE OF HOME

Divide the mixture among the bottom halves of the rolls.

This is a top-down shot; two open-faced toasted sandwiches are topped with creamy chicken salad, chopped lettuce; tomatoes; and herbs, placed on parchment paper over a white marble background — DAN ROBERTS FOR TASTE OF HOME

Sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper, if desired.

Step 3: Serve

Press on the top bun and secure with toothpicks, if desired. Serve immediately.

Editor’s Tip: This recipe would make a delicious open-faced sandwich. The top bun helps hold the lettuce mixture in, but the top bun isn’t totally necessary if you’re a pro at eating toast with toppings.

vThis is an overhead shot showing two open-faced chicken salad sandwiches on toasted bread atop parchment; nearby are a bowl of extra salad with a spoon and a pepper grinder on the left — DAN ROBERTS FOR TASTE OF HOME

Chopped Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwich Variations

Try a salmon Caesar salad: Leftover cold salmon would be a tasty alternative to the chicken. Just flake the fish before tossing it with the lettuce.
Wrap it up: The chicken salad makes an excellent filling for a sandwich wrap. Bundle it up in your favorite tortilla or pita.
Go gluten-free: The salad mixture is also delicious on a gluten-free bun or gluten-free bread. You could also serve it on top of quinoa or a roasted sweet potato for a grain-free, low-carb lunch.
Scale up or down: This recipe is so easy to adjust. If you’re hosting a potluck lunch, you can double or triple it. If you’re just serving one, scale it down to make a single, healthy desk lunch.

How to Store Chopped Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches

These chopped chicken salad sandwiches are best eaten soon after they’re made. Once the lettuce is tossed with the dressing, it will start to get soggy.

If you have leftovers, we suggest storing each element separately. Keep the lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, dressing and Parmesan in the fridge. Store extra buns at room temperature.

How long does chopped chicken Caesar salad last?

Once tossed together, the chopped chicken Caesar salad will be good for two or three hours. If you wait much longer than that, the lettuce will begin to wilt and the buns will get soggy.

Chopped Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwich Tips

Chopped Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwich Rc25 280084 Dr 07 23 19b — DAN ROBERTS FOR TASTE OF HOME

What’s the best way to cook chicken for chicken Caesar salad sandwiches?

The best part about this recipe is its versatility! You can cook chicken almost any way you like. Grilled, sauteed, baked or poached chicken are all tasty here. Since chopped chicken is easiest to toss (and eat), we like to use boneless chicken breasts or thighs. You can also use this as a shredded chicken recipe. The only chicken we’d avoid is anything with a strong flavor, such as leftover barbecue chicken.

What should you serve with chopped chicken Caesar salad sandwiches?

These hearty sandwiches already feature veggies, protein and carbs, making them a pretty complete meal (which is great if you’re packing lunch and in a rush!). Grab an apple or sliced fruit, a bag of chips or pretzels, and something sweet to round out the meal.

If you’re serving the sandwich as part of a sit-down meal, the side dish options are endless! Try a fresh vegetable side, such as tomato salad, grilled corn or roasted carrots. And you can’t go wrong with classic sandwich sides, such as coleslaw, potato salad or fruit salad.