• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Life As A Strawberry
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Bread Class!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Fall
  • Recipes
  • Bread Baking
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Fall
    • Recipes
    • Bread Baking
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Sandwiches and Burgers

    Pumpernickel Chicken Salad Sandwiches

    Published: Dec 21, 2013 · Modified: Aug 15, 2023 by Jessie · This post may contain affiliate links; if you buy something we'll earn a commission at no cost to you.

    Jump to Recipe

    Our favorite chicken salad sandwich features a light, tangy Greek yogurt dressing and a burst of sweetness from some fresh red grapes. A bit of diced cucumber adds crunch and texture, while hearty slices of pumpernickel bread give this sandwich a rich, cozy vibe.

    Two halves of a chicken salad sandwich with pumpernickel bread, stacked on top of each other. this recipe

    This pumpernickel chicken sandwich recipe is a gamechanger, friends. It's ready in just a few minutes thanks to a rotisserie chicken (or a bit of meal prep shredded chicken!), and makes a perfect quick, light lunch.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Variations and Substitutions
    • Instructions
    • Storage
    • A Few FAQs
    • More Recipes That Use a Rotisserie Chicken
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments & Reviews

    Ingredients

    Chicken salad sandwich ingredients, organized into individual bowls.

    Scroll to the recipe card below for a full ingredients list with exact quantities.

    This is a very simple recipe, but we want to highlight a few things before you jump in:

    • Cooked chicken. This is a perfect place to use store-bought rotisserie chicken, slow cooker meal prep chicken, or leftover grilled/roasted chicken from earlier in the week. (This recipe is also great with leftover Thanksgiving turkey breast!) Dice or shred your cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces for easy mixing.
    • Grapes give this salad a punch of sweetness to balance out the tangy Greek yogurt dressing.
    • Cucumbers add important texture. (PS - Not sure about the grape + cucumber combo in this recipe? Trust us: It totally works.)
    • Pumpernickel bread is our favorite here, but you can use sourdough, crusty homemade bread, sliced baguettes, or a croissant instead!
    • Greek yogurt and mayonnaise form the base of our dressing! This combo is light and fairly tart: You'll definitely taste the Greek yogurt. (If you're not a Greek yogurt fan, use plain yogurt or additional mayonnaise in its place!)

    Variations and Substitutions

    This recipe is very forgiving: It's easy to customize with whatever you have on hand! A few of our favorite riffs:

    • Add extra veggies! For more texture (and a burst of color!) stir some chopped bell peppers, diced celery, red onion, avocado, or shredded cabbage (green, red, or napa cabbage) into this chicken salad.
    • Optional add-ins: This chicken salad is also delicious with crispy bacon bits, dried cranberries, or toasted nuts (like walnuts, almonds, or pecans).
    • Adjust the dressing. This is a very loose dressing recipe: Adjust the amount of each ingredient, add a bit of lemon juice for more brightness, add a spoonful of dijon mustard for more depth, or add a drizzle of honey for more sweetness.
    • Add some crispy bacon and tomato slices to make this more of a club sandwich or BLT-style meal.
    • Swap the grapes for diced apples (similar to our apple chicken salad lettuce wraps!)

    Instructions

    Mixing greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and salt in a large bowl.

    Start by stirring the mayonnaise and Greek yogurt together with a pinch of salt until you have a smooth mixture (Images 1 and 2, above).

    Mixing chicken, grapes, and cucumber with dressing in a large ceramic bowl.

    Add the cooked chicken, grapes, and cucumbers (Image 3), then stir everything together to form your chicken salad (Image 4). That's it!

    Give the salad a quick taste and add extra salt, mayonnaise, or Greek yogurt as needed. When you're ready to eat, layer the chicken salad onto some toasted pumpernickel bread with a few leaves of butter lettuce to make a quick sandwich!

    Stirring chicken salad with a white spatula.

    Storage

    We recommend eating this chicken salad within a day or two of mixing for the best flavor! Store leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days (past that, the dressing will start to get a bit watery and the grapes and cucumbers can start to get mushy!)

    If you like, you can also assemble the sandwiches in the morning and store them in the fridge for a few hours until you're ready to eat. We don't recommend keeping assembled sandwiches in the fridge for more than a few hours, as the bread can get soggy.

    Chicken salad on top of a slice of pumpernickel bread.

    A Few FAQs

    How long does chicken salad keep?

    We recommend eating this chicken salad fairly quickly for the best texture and flavor! Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two before the grapes and cucumber start to lose their crunch and the dressing begins to turn watery. We recommend spooning this easy chicken salad recipe onto your sandwiches just before serving; storing an already-prepared rotisserie chicken salad sandwich in the fridge can cause the bread to become soggy.

    Should I eat chicken salad cold?

    Yes! We recommend meal prepping the chicken ahead of time, either by making some slow cooker shredded chicken or breaking down a rotisserie chicken from the store. Chop or shred your cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces, then store it in the fridge until you're ready to mix your chicken salad. When you're ready to eat, toss the cold chicken in with the dressing, grapes, and cucumbers! Store any leftovers in the fridge.

    Can I use a different dressing?

    Yes - in a pinch, we've made this chicken salad with store-bought caesar dressing, ranch dressing, buffalo chicken sauce, a curry yogurt dressing, and a sesame dressing. Note: Grapes don't always pair well with the strong flavors in other dressings; if you use an alternate dressing instead of the Greek yogurt/mayo mix we suggest here, we recommend leaving the grapes out.

    What cheese goes best with a chicken salad sandwich?

    If you'd like to add cheese, we recommend using a slice of provolone, swiss, or white cheddar!

    Can I make this chicken salad without mayo?

    Yes! Use additional Greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise here if you like (we love the extra punch of protein you get from more Greek yogurt here!) If you don't love the taste of Greek yogurt, you can use a bit of olive oil in place of the mayonnaise (the dressing will be thinner, but you'll still get that rich balance to the tangy Greek yogurt flavor).

    More Recipes That Use a Rotisserie Chicken

    A rotisserie chicken is one of our favorite shortcuts on busy weeknights. Check out a few of our other favorite ways to use this versatile ingredient:

    • Lettuce wrap filled with chicken salad on a white plate.
      Chicken Apple Salad Lettuce Wraps
    • Chicken salad on a large white plate with two gold salad forks.
      Cilantro Chicken Chopped Salad
    • Smoked Mozzarella pizza on a piece of brown parchment paper.
      Smoked Mozzarella BBQ Chicken Pizza

    Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it turned out!

    Print

    📖 Recipe

    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Two halves of a chicken salad sandwich, stacked on a white plate.

    Pumpernickel Chicken Salad Sandwiches

    ★★★★★ 5 from 1 review
    • Author: Jessie
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 5 minutes
    • Total Time: 15 minutes
    • Yield: Serves 4
    • Category: Sandwich
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    These easy chicken salad sandwiches are a perfect quick lunch!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
    • 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
    • kosher salt, to taste
    • 2 ½ cups shredded chicken
    • ½ cup seedless red grapes, quartered
    • ½ cup cucumber, diced
    • 8 slices pumpernickel bread
    • 8 large pieces romaine or butter lettuce (optional)

    Instructions

    1. In a large bowl, mix Greek yogurt and mayonnaise with a pinch of salt.
    2. Add chicken, grapes, and cucumber and stir to combine. 
    3. Toast pumpernickel bread in a toaster, or spread the pieces out on a sheet pan and broil on high for 1-2 minutes.
    4. Spread a generous helping of chicken salad on a slice of toasted pumpernickel. Top with some fresh lettuce and another slice of toasted bread. Serve immediately.

    Notes

    Additions and Substitutions. For more depth of flavor, add a spoonful of dijon mustard to the dressing. Use pears or apples instead of grapes if you prefer. Add diced bell peppers, celery, avocado, shredded cabbage, crispy bacon, or toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans) to the chicken salad if you like. Use sourdough, wheat bread, homemade artisan bread, or small batch crusty bread in place of the pumpernickel. Skip the bread and make a tortilla wrap or lettuce wrap instead.

    If you don't like the sourness of Greek yogurt, use additional mayonnaise in its place. (You'll definitely taste the Greek yogurt in this recipe!)

    This is a very loose recipe - You can usually get away with eyeballing most of the ingredients. Just remember to taste as you go and adjust as needed!

    Store leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 sandwich
    • Calories: 397
    • Sugar: 6.3 g
    • Sodium: 570.9 mg
    • Fat: 14.4 g
    • Carbohydrates: 34.9 g
    • Protein: 24.3 g
    • Cholesterol: 71.6 mg

    Keywords: sandwich, meal prep, lunch

    Tag @lifeasastrawberry on Instagram to show us what you're cooking! Nutrition information is calculated per serving; it is approximate and will vary based on many factors.

    More Easy Sandwich and Burger Recipes

    • Grilled cheese sandwiches in a stack on a white plate.
      Cranberry Brie Grilled Cheese
    • A stack of four blackberry grilled cheese sandwiches on a white table.
      Blackberry Grilled Cheese
    • Hands pulling two halves of a grilled cheese sandwich apart.
      Bacon, Brie, and Apple Grilled Cheese
    • Black bean burger with a whole wheat bun on a wooden cutting board.
      Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

    I'm Jessie, and I like to talk about food. Tag your recipes #LifeAsAStrawberry on social media to share your creations! Learn about our team!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Reader Interactions

    Discussion

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe rating ★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Jessica

      January 07, 2023 at 12:01 pm

      Really good! I was surprised how much I liked the grapes here. Worked really well with some local pumpernickel bread.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        January 09, 2023 at 9:51 am

        We're so happy to hear you loved it! Great pumpernickel really takes the sandwich up a notch!

        Reply
    2. Gustavo Woltmann

      January 21, 2017 at 5:59 am

      I love your chicken salad sandwiches. Thank you for the recipe.

      - Gustavo Woltmann

      Reply
      • Jessie

        January 22, 2017 at 12:52 pm

        Thanks, Gustavo! I'm so glad you liked the recipe!

        Reply
    3. Queenie

      December 23, 2013 at 6:35 pm

      All my sandwhiches I add mayonnaise to it. I'll have to try it with greek yogurt.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Jessie standing in a kitchen lifting a fork full of pasta.

    I'm Jessie, and I like to talk about food. On this website, you'll find well-tested recipes and tutorials to help you make weeknight comfort food you're proud of.

    Learn More →

    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Most Popular Recipes

    • A loaf of homemade french bread on a dark background.
      Easy Crusty French Bread (VIDEO)
    • Hand holding a small loaf of bread in front of a black background.
      Small Batch Crusty Bread
    • Cheese and charcuterie arranged on a round wooden cutting board next to a blue napkin.
      How to Make a Cheese Plate (with step-by-step photos!)
    • Creamy chicken pasta in a large silver saucepan.
      30 Minute Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta
    • Loaf of crusty bread on a white table next to a blue striped napkin.
      Crusty Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Bread
    • Copper spoon stirring creamy mushroom sauce in a shallow skillet.
      Easy Creamy Mushroom Sauce

    Easy Fall Recipes

    • Wooden spoon drizzling apple butter into a mason jar.
      Easy Apple Butter - No Refined Sugar (Video)
    • Chocolate chip cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
      Butterless Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Oil
    • Grey bowl filled with mashed potatoes and short ribs with red wine sauce.
      Instant Pot Short Ribs with Red Wine
    • Gnocchi with shaved parmesan in a shallow white bowl on a dark table.
      Leftover Mashed Potatoes Gnocchi (With Video!)


    Featured In

    A collection of logos from press outlets that have featured Life As A Strawberry.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    ABOUT US

    • Meet Our Team
    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Work With Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility

    RESOURCES

    • Subscriber Resource Library
    • Meal Planning Resources
    • Sustainability Resources
    • Social Responsibility
    • At The Table Podcast
    • Everyday Artisan Bread Course

    RECIPES

    • Recipe Index
    • Homemade Bread
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Quick and Easy Meal Ideas

    JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

    Life As A Strawberry logo
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    About - Recipes - Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2012-2023 LIFE AS A STRAWBERRY

    ""