Buzz
I’m not here to green salads, but they’re just not my thing. It’s not the vegetables themselves; it’s the fact that a bowl filled mostly with loose leaves feels underwhelming. When I do make a salad, it’s got to be hearty with substantial and exciting ingredients, with the greens acting as more of a sidekick. I usually gravitate toward two types of salads: hearty grain-based ones (like this warm rice salad I adore), or a ‘sandwich salad’ as I like to call it.
The idea for this salad came from a sandwich I was daydreaming about while running errands. It’s from Pisillo Italian Panini in the financial district – a chicken sandwich piled high with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, arugula, and provolone on a thick, chewy roll. I could practically taste it. But I wasn’t anywhere near the deli.
I decided to grab the ingredients and make it myself at home. Sure, it’s never quite the same as having someone else prepare it for you, but I had to make do. With some good bread and chicken on hand, all I needed were jarred artichokes and a pepper I could quickly air fry.
I don’t know if others experience this, but whenever I’m sure I have something at home and I’m excited to eat it, someone else has already eaten it. My chewy sandwich rolls were gone. With no bread, and determined not to go back after just coming home from running errands—no way!—I tossed the sandwich ingredients into a bowl instead.
That salad completely satisfied my craving for the sandwich I had missed. It had all the essential ingredients, and by the time I finished eating, I was stuffed. That’s how my first sandwich salad came to life; the pioneer for all the sandwich salads that followed.
How to make a sandwich salad
A sandwich salad is simply any three to eight ingredients you’d usually put in a sandwich, tossed together in a bowl with any dressing you’d use on the sandwich. They’re filling, bursting with flavor (without bread watering down the ingredients), and they never get old. Much like how a sandwich can be delicious with different proteins (like swapping chicken for turkey or prosciutto for salami), you can do the same with the salad.
The only slight adjustment I suggest is when the sandwich doesn’t naturally come with lettuce—like in a bacon, egg, and cheese, for instance—I'll usually add a handful of leafy greens to break things up and give the salad some texture. Not too much, just enough to enhance the rest of the ingredients.
Here are some other sandwich salads I love:
Pan bagnat salad. In a bowl, toss together a can of tuna in oil, chopped black olives, green beans, red bell pepper, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, and drizzle with a mustard and oil dressing. Optional: add some arugula and a touch of lemon zest.
Cubano salad. Combine shredded roast pork, chopped ham, cubed Swiss cheese, and oblique-cut dill pickles in a bowl. Dress with a mustard vinaigrette made with vinegar and olive oil. Optional: swap in spritzy kimchi for the mustard dressing.
Muffuletta salad. This one practically prepares itself. Chop up a mix of Italian meats like salami, capicola, and mortadella, and toss them with jarred olive salad (including the oil) and cubed provolone cheese. Here’s my recipe for the sandwich if you’re missing the bread. Optional: add hot banana peppers, pepperoncini, or salted pistachios.
If your sandwich dressing is typically mayo, thin it out for a less clumpy texture before mixing it with the salad ingredients. For mayo, I suggest adding a squeeze of lemon juice and a little olive oil. If mustard is your go-to, a spoonful of oil and vinegar will work well. If you're using marinated or jarred ingredients like artichoke hearts or olives, let some of the brine splash into the mix for added flavor, complementing the other dressing components.
Chicken Sandwich Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, thinly sliced (or swap with your choice of lunch meat)
1 to 2 ounces of chopped provolone cheese
3 to 5 strips of jarred roasted red pepper
4 to 8 marinated quartered artichoke hearts
1 handful of fresh baby arugula
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss to mix. For extra flavor, splash in some of the artichoke marinade from the jar as additional dressing.
