Skip to main content

Turkey Salad Sandwiches


Copycat recipes of your favorite takeout foods are vast.  Not that I have ever had PF Changs but the knock off recipes for their meals are endless.  Or McDonald's or Applebee's or Chili's.  You get the idea.  If you desire a knock off recipe from a chain restaurant, with some searching a decent recipe can be found.  But what about your local mom and pop diner?  Here is where years of culinary experience come into play.  And a little trial and error, of course.

Over the years I have perfected this T&T sandwich but its original base came from a Chicken Cranberry Pecan Salad similar to the local sandwich joint.  Differences being are subtle and have more to do with things completely out of my control such as their homemade bread.  Don't know what it is but it is the best.  While I have found a great store bought, off the shelf substitute to their homemade heaven, their bread still is the best.  As far as the salad is concerned, I think mine is just as good as theirs, maybe better because the onion pieces are smaller.  A personal preference, yes, but I do believe better.

Modifications Made:
Chicken is diced, not shredded.  Sizing should be about the size of a marble.

Walnuts replace pecans, black pepper replaces white, and parsley, as always, was omitted.

Mayo is not my favorite condiment.  In fact, it is so far down on the list of condiments to use, it will go bad in the fridge before being consumed.  When a jar of mayo is opened, numerous meals requiring the use of mayo are planned within the next two months so as to waste food.  Normally, the use of mayo is kept to the barest minimum needed.  However, this recipe calls for 1/2 cup of which does not provide near the coverage to the sheer amount of chicken used.  How much mayo used is determined each and every time the salad is made.  Sometimes is it 3/4 cup, sometimes it is closer to 1 cup.  Whatever makes it enough to make the salad stick together.

Additionally, while not listed, 1/4 cup of finely, finely, almost pureed red or yellow onions are added.  Red is better as they are sweeter but does tend to discolor the salad.

Scaled for Likability: Great
This is salad is perfect for bread, crackers, lettuce, or wraps.  It is good use for chicken leftovers, either boiled or rotisserie.  Celery finely chopped provided a perfect use for the leaves at the tips of the stalk.  No need to waste flavor.  Pecans to me are sweet and while I have never ate this salad with pecans, I do not think it would accent the flavors well.  However, pecan crusted chicken is popular so what do I know? To each their own.

The best, absolute best, secret about this recipe, is the substitution of chicken with leftover turkey.  Either roasted from thanksgiving or from the leftover bbq turkey a few days ago.  Turkey salad sandwiches are even better than chicken salad sandwiches, especially with cranberries!

Popular posts from this blog

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup.  Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too.  Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup  are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes for flavored tomatoes, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one can tomato sauce, two low sodium chicken and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water.  Once onions were softened, carrots, juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almost tender.  Green beans and corn tossed in, heat t

Way Too Rich, Extra Heavy Cheesecake

Pictures are deceptive. What this picture of this recipe does not show is how old and faded the print out paper is, how many stains are smudged across various spots, and the numerous notes written in the top right corner with the first one dating back to college days in 2001.  Yikes, twenty years ago makes this paper print out old, no wait, that makes me old.  Eek.   Sadly, my current living quarters do not allow for cooking of this cheesecake.  In fact the last time this recipe has been made have been close to six or seven years.  That is just too long.  Too long.  Luckily, we are spending Spring Break at family with a real oven.  A family who will help eat this oh so rich, very decadent, supremely yummy cheesecake. Modifications Made: There are four keys to a successful cheesecake. ONE: all ingredients must be room temperature.  If your house is ice chest cold, then warm the ingredients on the stovetop. TWO: do not over mix.  Excessive mixing creates air pockets resulting in split mi

The Great Freeze 2021 Vegetable Broth

Good grief, this cold snap.  Every year I wish and wish for cold weather so this table can eat soups without melting.  Well this year winter came and came with a vengeance.  Two days below freezing with no water, no power, no internet/cell service.  It's the dark ages.  If you need more info just search for Texas Grid Failure 2021 .  Yes, this tragic affair has its own wiki page.  Good grief. Did you know that if temperatures drop below freezing for too long, refrigerators will not keep your cold stuff from freezing?  Well, they don't.  And with 17℉ temps, this tables fridge contents froze.  What to do with a fridge full of frozen fresh veggies? Veggie stock. No recipe was used, it was just all the veggies in the fridge (white and yellow onions, garlic, jalapeno, green onions, three roma tomatoes, celery, two russet potatoes, seven carrots, and a red and green bell pepper) salt and pepper, and enough water to just touch the top layer of veggies.  I did not want the veggies floa