Craig Claiborne’s Chicken Salad Sandwich

Originally printed in 1981, here is Craig Claiborne’s take on the classic chicken salad sandwich. In his version, a combination of mayonnaise (preferably homemade) and yogurt is used which yields a lighter, tangier sandwich filling. He calls for using poached chicken, but the leftover roast chicken from last night would work beautifully as well.

Ingredients

• 1 poached chicken, 3 1/2 pounds
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup drained capers
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste
• salt to taste, if desired
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
• 8 to 12 slices rye bread, either freshly toasted or left untoasted
• Pickle strips, radishes or cherry tomatoes, for garnish

Directions

1. Strip the cooked chicken meat from the bones and cut it into bitesize pieces. There should be about 3 1/2 cups. Put the meat into a mixing bowl. Add the celery, onion and capers.
2. Blend together the yogurt, mayonnaise and vinegar and add to the chicken mixture. Add salt, pepper, parsley and scallions and toss to blend.
3. Use the bread to make sandwiches, garnished, if desired, with pickle strips, radishes, cherry tomatoes or any garnish of your choice.