Chicken Salad Grilled Cheese

Chicken salad grilled cheese levels up a favorite comfort food sandwich with chicken salad for extra protein to keep you satisfied.

About Chicken Salad Melt

If you're looking for a chicken salad sandwich with cheese, you've found it!

Whether you want to call it a chicken salad grilled cheese or a chicken salad melt, it's delicious nonetheless.

Simply fill two slices of bread with chicken salad and cheese, then grill or broil in the oven, and you get a super-filling meal.

I especially love using my homemade chicken salad without mayo because it has cottage cheese as the binder, and the cottage cheese melts a little bit when you heat it for the grilled cheese.

So it's extra cheesy!

I feel like the best cheese for a chicken salad sandwich is something relatively mild like Swiss, mozzarella, mild cheddar, pepper jack, or Monterey jack.

As a bonus, I like to add tomato slices, green onion, and/or parsley to brighten the flavor and add nutrients.

But they are optional.

Ingredients

Butter: A grilled cheese needs buttered bread in my opinion for the best flavor and color of the finished sandwich. Unsalted or salted butter both work.

Bread: A hearty bread is preferred so it holds up when cooking. Simply use the bread you like best for grilled cheese. For extra fiber, look for whole-grain bread.

Chicken salad: Homemade or store-bought chicken salad can both be used. You can really use any type of chicken salad you like. Hummus chicken salad would be a good option. Or if you want extra cheesiness, try pimento cheese chicken salad.

If the chicken salad you're using is watery, drain off excess liquid or pat it dry before adding to the bread.

Tomato: An optional addition, the tomato gives the chicken salad melt a little extra flavor and nutrients. Feel free to skip it.

However, if you do use tomatoes, be sure to slice them and let them drain for a second on a towel to keep the sandwich from being soggy.

Cheese: The best cheese for a chicken salad sandwich is mild cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, pepper jack, and Monterey jack cheeses.

Recipe Cost

• butter 2 teaspoons: $0.08
• bread 2 slices: $0.52
• chicken salad ½ cup: $1.29
• tomato 1 small: $0.28
• cheese ¼ cup: $0.29

TOTAL COST: $2.46 - serves one (Based on San Diego grocery stores 2023)

Note that this is not the recipe; it's simply to show the cost breakdown of ingredients. Scroll down to the full recipe to see the specific ingredients and directions.

How to Make Chicken Salad Grilled Cheese

Recipe Tips

Variations

Ingredient Options

Tomato: You can add a few thin slices of red, sweet, or green onion in place of the tomato or in addition.

Cheese: Any mild cheese will work like Swiss, mozzarella, pepper jack, mild cheddar, and Monterey jack cheeses

Flavor Additions

To increase the flavor, sprinkle with fresh parsley and/or green onion with the cheese.

Alternative Prep & Cooking

To make this an open-faced chicken salad melt sandwich:

• Heat the oven to 400F.
• Place two slices of bread on a baking sheet and top each slice with about ¼ cup of chicken salad.
• Sprinkle evenly with cheese.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

How to Make Allergy-Friendly

This recipe for a chicken salad sandwich with cheese is hard to specify since your ingredients can widely vary.

If using a dairy-free cheese and chicken salad, it can be dairy-free.

Use gluten-free bread for a gluten-free chicken salad grilled cheese.

And check the ingredients list of your bread and chicken salad to ensure it doesn't have ingredients you are allergic to or sensitive to.

How to Fix a Mistake

Lacks flavor: Sprinkle with a little salt or add a few fresh herbs like parsley or basil. Also, you can dip it into a creamy sauce like avocado cilantro dressing, homemade BBQ sauce, or cranberry honey mustard sauce.

Make-Ahead Ideas

I don't recommend making this in advance simply because grilled cheeses are best served warm.

However, you can grate the cheese and slice the tomato beforehand.

Storage Suggestions

If you have leftovers, store the chicken salad grilled cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Reheat in a dry skillet or in the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Benefits

The filling and satisfying grilled cheese is not only delicious, but it's also full of protein with 33 grams per sandwich.

And it is high in vitamins and minerals with 72% RDA of iron, 25% RDA of Vitamin A, 19% RDA of Vitamin C, 16% RDA of calcium, and 15% RDA of potassium.

Putting chicken salad on your grilled cheese boosts the protein to keep you satisfied and full for longer.

What to Serve with a Chicken Salad Melt

This recipe serves one and is pretty filling on its own.

You can serve it with a sauce like avocado cilantro dressing, homemade BBQ sauce, or cranberry honey mustard sauce.

Or add a side salad, soup, carrot fries, or chips.

Final thoughts:

If you've ever wondered if you put cheese on a chicken salad sandwich, you will want to try this recipe for chicken salad grilled cheese.

It makes a tasty and satisfying lunch or dinner.

MORE CHICKEN SALAD RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE:

• Avocado Chicken Salad
• Cucumber Chicken Salad Bites
• Curry Avocado Chicken Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Salad

Meme

This post was originally published on April 7, 2016. The text, recipe, and photos have been updated.

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Chicken Salad Grilled Cheese Nutrition Facts