Turkey Tuesday: Turkey Salad Sandwiches

Here’s why this classic, pretty simple Turkey Salad Sandwich recipe is going to be your go-to from now on:

I have always loved a really good chicken salad sandwich, but I’m also super picky. (Um, yes, as much as I hate to admit it, there is likely a reason my son, Joe, is quite particular about his food.) The recipe has to have just the right amount of celery, onion and mustard. Too much of any of those things, and I’ll nix it. I also tend to like my chicken salad simple and classic – nothing weirdly different or fancy in it.

Sarah over at one of my favorite blogs, Nurse Loves Farmer, hits just the right mix for me. Her chicken salad is definitely one of the best I’ve made – and it’s a huge hit with Teacher Man. He requests it all the time.

Incidentally, if you haven’t checked out Sarah’s blog, I hope you’ll head over there to say hello. Sarah lives in Canada with her farmer husband and two adorably cute little boys. I’ve never met Sarah in person, but we’ve connected through our involvement with Ask The Farmers, a blog and social media community that aims to answer your questions about anything farming.

Sarah is also a nurse and I love the way she tackles issues and misinformation about food and agriculture head on – she does her research and writes thoughtful blog posts. And given her family life, work life, and her own blog life, I’m in awe of everything she gets done!

Now, back to the reason for #TurkeyTuesday: the turkey salad sandwich recipe.

This recipe is equally fabulous using turkey breast tenderloins instead of chicken breasts. And my trick to pulling this recipe together really quickly? I will take a few minutes a day or two before and bake the turkey tenderloins (or chicken breasts) ahead of time and just stick them in the refrigerator to use later.

(Quick and easy baking instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then line a baking pan with foil. Lay the turkey tenderloins on the pan and cook for about 20-25 minutes for 1-1.25 pounds of turkey or chicken. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the pieces reach 165 degrees and you’re set. No fuss – no muss.)

You could also cut up a rotisserie chicken or turkey breast, or use the pre-cubed frozen chicken breasts you find in the freezer section of your grocery store, but I think cooking the breast pieces above is just as easy and it allows you to cut the turkey to your desired chunk size. (For me and this salad recipe, this means small chunks.)

You can view Nurse Loves Farmer’s original recipe here. I follow it pretty closely – unless I don’t have green onions on hand. If that’s the case, I chop up a small amount of yellow or white onion, which is a decent substitute. I also use a slightly different seasoning than the original recipe calls for, mainly because it’s what I have in my pantry.

Enjoy!

– Lara –

Turkey Salad Sandwiches

Recipe source: Nurse Loves Farmer

• 4 cups cubed, cooked turkey (or chicken) – I use JENNIE-O® Boneless Turkey Breast Tenderloins
• 2 celery ribs, sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tsp prepared mustard
• ½ tsp Market Pantry Table Mix Seasoning Blend (or some kind of garlic pepper blend)
• ¼ tsp salt
• Lettuce, tomato slices, etc. for garnish