I’m not finicky about much, but I kid you not when I tell you that I will only eat chicken salad in three particular places. My own home, favorite diner & communal park. Why? Because not every chicken salad is created equally! With that said I am telling you that you MUST MUST MUST try my “Overstuffed Roasted Chicken Salad Sandwiches” I’ve done tons and tons of versions and this one just wins the prize. If you like texture, imagine warm juicy chicken, sweet plump grapes and crunchy nuts all mixed together to create the perfect combination. Slap it between some toasted Challah bread and you might as may well just have made one of the best sandwiches of your life!

Ingredients

4 tablespoon Olive Oil, good quality
4 thyme sprigs
4 chicken thighs bone-in; skin left intact
1/3 cups finely chopped shallots or red onion
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup pistachios or smoked almonds
1/3 cup sliced red seedless grapes halved
1/3 cup diced carrots
1/3 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Ground pepper to taste (don’t be shy with it)
8 slices of Challah bread, toasted

Directions

1.) For the chicken, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and coat the bottom of a large foil-lined baking pan with 2 tablespoon of the olive oil.
2.) Arrange the chicken on pan and drizzle the top of the chicken with remaining olive oil massaging it in until thoroughly coated.

3.) Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

4.) Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 20 minutes.
5.) Switch pan over to top rack and delicately rest a thyme sprig on each chicken thigh. Bake for another 20-30 minutes until skin looks golden and crisp with juices running clear.

6.) Remove from oven and let it cool until ready to handle. Once cool, shred as much meat as possible from the bones into bite sized pieces.
7.) In a large bowl whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper.
8.) Gently fold in pistachios, grapes, veggies & chicken.
9.) Toss the dressing throughout the ingredients until thoroughly combined. (Season with more salt and pepper if you wish.)
10.) Spread a generous amount of the chicken salad onto the Challah bread to create sandwiches letting it spill right over. (Gives you one more bite to scoop up at the end!)