For the chicken salad:
3 medium (or 2 large) bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 2 1/2 pounds)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion (from about a quarter of a medium onion)
1/2 cup chopped celery (from 2 medium stalks)
1/2 cup thinly sliced roasted red pepper
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Handful of chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
12 slices cooked bacon
12 slices hearty Italian or peasant bread
For the vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Rub some olive oil over the chicken breasts and season them with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, depending on how thick the breasts are. The skin does not need to brown; you just want the meat to cook through. Let cool slightly, then peel away the skin and shred the meat. You should have about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of shredded chicken. Drizzle the chicken with a bit of the juices from the pan, just to keep it moist.
Combine the onion, celery, red pepper, almonds, parsley, and shredded chicken in a large bowl.
To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stream in the olive oil, whisking vigorously, until combined. Pour the vinaigrette over the chicken salad and toss to coat.
Make the sandwiches, putting two slices of bacon on each, topped with one-sixth of the chicken salad.
Recipe Note
- You can substitute 3 1/2 to 4 cups shredded cooked chicken for the chicken breast in this recipe.
This recipe has been updated — first published March 2009.