As strange as it sounds, one of my strongest food memories is the chicken salad sandwich from The Mason Jar.
This fabled picnic pick-up spot on Cape Cod also inspired this stacked vegetables & sprouts sandwich. They’re forever linked to my summers with cousins, sandy beaches and the sound of waves… the light breeze sprinkling my picnic sandwich with sand…
But also, it’s this chicken salad sandwich anytime, anywhere.
Here’s why: perfectly made all-breast chicken salad with crisp Granny Smith apple and Meunster cheese. That’s the combination I crave when it’s picnic time.
Since I’m thousands of miles from Cape Cod, I took this combination and turned it into a chicken salad wrap sandwich that Cece and I could take to our stunning {and some would say shockingly cold} Wallowa Lake.
First step, a tender, chunky and creamy chicken salad. Here’s the technique I use with poached chicken breast. Then, it’s a simple step with celery and mayonnaise, salt and pepper to a classic chicken salad.
Only I added diced Granny Smith apple to the mix. Then rolled it inside a whole-wheat wrap with colby jack cheese {couldn’t find meunster} and green leaf lettuce from the garden.
Then, I stuffed and as much of that chicken salad inside as I could. When it comes to chicken salad sandwiches of any stripe, you don’t want to skimp.
We ate these chicken salad wraps on a perfect Saturday afternoon at the lake, staring into the heart of the mountains and the sounds of splashing all around us.
Happy summer!
What’s your picnic food? Let me know in the comments below or tag a photo #lynnesforage on Instagram or Facebook.
Picnic Chicken Salad Wrap
Ingredients
- 1 pound (about 2) chicken breasts, bone in or boneless
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup finely diced celery
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 slices Meunster, colby jack or Monterey Jack cheese, sliced in half
- 8 tender lettuce leaves
- 4 whole-wheat wraps
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a saucepan. Add enough water just to barely cover them and bring the water to a simmer uncovered over medium heat. Add a large pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the heat to let the chicken stand in the water for 5 minutes (or an internal read thermometer registers 165 degrees F). Transfer the breasts from the broth into a bowl until cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile, combine the apple, celery, mayonnaise and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and then use two forks to shred it coarsely, discarding any fat or cartilage. Add it to the bowl with the salt and pepper and taste for seasoning. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to make the wraps, or up to 3 days in advance.
- To assemble the wraps, place a piece of parchment paper larger than your wrap and put the wrap on top of it. Lay 2 slices of cheese off center closest to you. Then place 2 lettuce leaves on top of them. Scoop 1/4 of the chicken salad over the lettuce leaves. Lift the parchment paper to fold the filled side of the wrap up and over the filling, tuck in the sides and wrap firmly with the parchment paper. Secure with a piece of butcher's twine. Refrigerate or place in a cooler until ready to serve.
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