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These chicken sandwich melts are scrumptious and they are an easy company-ready dish that takes minutes to put together. They will win over a crowd every time! The first time I tried them (shamelessly eating 3 sandwiches), I was scribbling down the recipe before I finished chewing.
I’m always on the lookout for recipes that are great for unexpected visitors or even expected ones. You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen for your friends and family to love what you cook.
This spread is loaded with cheesy chicken and tomatoes and is seasoned to perfection! (P.S. Make sure to check out the easy recipe for Johnny’s Seasoning in the post below). You have to try this recipe! I made them as soon as I could get to the grocery store and brought them to my Mom’s house and it was obvious after 5 minutes that I should have made more!
Every time we visit our family in the Seattle, WA area, we come home with loads of inspiration and new recipes. The gals in my family are amazing cooks! They have graciously contributed loads of recipes to this blog and I’m so thankful for that.
This recipe comes from my beautiful friend/Cousin’s wife, Alla – there should be an easier term for “cousin’s wife.” For the sake of simplicity, I’ll call her my friend, nah we’re more like sisters. 😉 Other great recipes from Alla include:
Grilled Moroccan Veggie Skewers:
Talk about a Mediterranean experience! Thank you Alla for sharing your recipes with all of us. You’re welcome to visit us in Idaho anytime! 🙂
Ingredients for Alla’s Easy Chicken Sandwiches:
1 loaf good Bread, sliced
2 cans (12.5 oz each) chicken breast in water, well drained
3/4 cup real mayo, or to taste
*Johnny’s seasoning, to taste (see recipe for making your own seasoning below)
1 large tomato, diced
1/3 bunch Cilantro
6 oz mild cheddar cheese, finely shredded inside or a slice of cheese on top.
Sriracha hot chili sauce to taste, or your favorite hot sauce (optional)
*You can make your own Johnny’s seasoning easily:
(NOTE: Do not use this entire batch of seasoning for this recipe – add it to taste)
1 ½ Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
How to Make Easy Chicken Sandwich Melts:
1. Drain canned chicken and transfer to a large mixing bowl and break it up lightly with a fork.
2. Stir in 3/4 cup mayo or to taste along with Johnny’s seasoning to taste (I used a little more than 1/4 tsp seasoning).
3. Add diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro and shredded cheddar cheese. Stir to combine.
4. Add Sriracha hot sauce to taste. The Sriracha hot sauce gives it a nice kick and it’s so good, but if you want it to be kid friendly, you can divide the mixture and only put it into half of the spread
5. Spread generously over good sliced bread (this one’s from Costco) and bake uncovered on a cookie sheet at 350˚F for 8 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro and fresh tomatoes if desired
I hope these pictures did this sandwich justice. I really, really want you to try them and be sure to report back and let me know how much you loved them.
Easy Chicken Sandwich Melts
Ingredients
Ingredients for Sandwiches:
- 1 loaf good Bread
- 2 cans, 12.5 oz each chicken breast in water, well drained
- 3/4 cup real mayonnaise, or to taste
- *Johnny’s seasoning, to taste (see recipe for making your own seasoning below)
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1/3 bunch Cilantro
- 6 oz mild cheddar cheese, finely shredded inside or a slice of cheese on top.
- Sriracha hot chili sauce to taste, or your favorite hot sauce (optional)
*You can make your own Johnny's seasoning easily:
- 1 ½ Tbsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Drain canned chicken well and transfer to a large mixing bowl, then break it up lightly with a fork.
- Stir in 3/4 cup mayo or to taste along with Johnny's seasoning to taste (I used a little more than 1/4 tsp seasoning).
- Add diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro and shredded cheddar cheese. Stir to combine.
- Add Sriracha hot sauce to taste. The Sriracha hot sauce gives it a nice kick and it's so good, but if you want it to be kid friendly, you can divide the mixture and only put it into half of the spread.
- Spread generously over good sliced bread (this one's from Costco) and bake uncovered on a cookie sheet at 350˚F for 8 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro and fresh tomatoes if desired.
Notes
Credits:
Johnny’s Seasoning Recipe from here.
Looks delish! Any substitutes for mayo for my egg allergic kid? We prefer not to use artificial mayo. Thanks!
Hello! You can try mashed avocados, hummus or plain Greek yogurt! We’d love to know what you think if you try it!
Would medium cheaddar cheese work for this recipe? Thanks
That should work too, hope you enjoy!
The recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. The only thing is, my husband really doesn’t like cilantro. Should I just leave it out or replace it with something?
Hi Susan! You can use parsley or just leave it out.
This was good, my cousin’s grandma who normally doesn’t eat anything i make liked it !!
That’s great to hear!
I made your recipe recently and it was fabulous! I want to make it for my Mothers 87th birthday luncheon. How far in advance can I make the chicken salad?
Hi Karlyn! You can make it and refrigerate it for a day or two and then assemble the sandwiches before the party. I hope you love this recipe!
This was very good! I added chopped red onion and we ate it with a side of steamed veggies. We ate it like a casserole so no bread.
So glad you enjoyed it!
This looks delicious and something for a nice summer dinner. Can you use cut up chicken breast in place of the canned chicken?
Hi Shelly! Yes, you can, but you may not be able to get the same consistency as the canned chicken from just cutting it up.
Hi Natasha,
I so enjoy all of your very creative and very expressive, fun videos. You put the joy in cooking, that’s for sure.
I love to cook/create and my family and friends love my creativity when I cook, too. You’re an inspiration. Thanks for sharing your joy of life/cooking with all of us.
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that thoughtful comment with me, Cathy
How many sandwiches does this make? Wondering if I need to cut the recipe in half. Thank you in advance!
Hi Stacey. That would depend on the bread loaf used and how large the slices are. If you are using a bread loaf similar to mine, about 16 slices or sp depending on how thick you cut them.
I found your recipe looking for something to do with $5 Costco rotisserie chicken. Just remove skin and throw to mooching dog. I like the chicken, cheese, and mayo mix melted together. Nice. Never had before. Made french bread in my trusty $10 thrift shop bread machine. The fresh bread costs less than $1/ loaf to make. Throw ingredients in machine. Push start and walk away. I only mention cost because you list it. And don’t care for canned chicken. Expensive and tastes like can. Your recipe is easy, delicious, and inexpensive to make. Kids inhaled it. Thanks Natasha.
You’re welcome, Luke. Thank you too for your good comments and feedback.
I think I like these even more retoasted in the toaster oven the next day. Extra toasty! Thank you for being my go to website!
Yum! Great idea, NB! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!