A chicken sandwich is a

sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...

that typically consists of boneless, skinless

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domestication, domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey junglefowl, grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster ...

breast or thigh served between slices of bread, on a bun, or on a roll. Variations on the "chicken sandwich" include the chicken burger, chicken on a bun, chickwich, hot chicken, or

chicken salad Chicken salad is any salad with chicken as a main ingredient. Other common ingredients may include mayonnaise, hard-boiled egg, celery, onion, pepper, pickles (or pickle relish) and a variety of mustards. Description In Canada and the Unite ...

sandwich. In American English, a ''sandwich'' is any two pieces of bread with filling, including rolls and buns; in British English (and also some other national English varieties, such as those of Canada, Australia and New Zealand), the word ''sandwich'' is defined more narrowly, to require the pieces of bread to be sliced from a loaf, and a roll or bun with filling would not generally be called a ''sandwich''. A bun with a cooked chicken breast as filling would generally be called a ''chicken sandwich'' in the U.S., but in British English, commonly spoken in

Commonwealth countries The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 56 sovereign states. Most of them were British colonies or dependencies of those colonies. No one government in the Commonwealth exercises power over the others, as is the case in a ...

, such a dish is not considered a ''sandwich'', and would generally be called a ''chicken burger'' instead; most Americans would not consider such as dish to count as a ''burger'', since Americans generally consider a burger to require a patty made from ground/minced meat.

Composition

In the United States, the sandwich usually consists of a chicken filet or

patty A patty or burger (in British English) is a flattened, usually round, serving of ground meat and/or legumes, grains, vegetables, or meat alternatives. Patties are found in multiple cuisines throughout the world. In British and American En ...

, toppings and bread. The chicken meat can be deep fried, grilled,

roasted Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat where hot air covers the food, cooking it evenly on all sides with temperatures of at least from an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting can enhance the flavor through caramelizati ...

or boiled, served hot or cold, and white or dark meat chicken can be used. Shredded chicken in one form or another, such as

, can also be used in chicken sandwiches. Another form is made with cold cuts.

Wrap Wrap, WRAP or Wrapped may refer to: Storage and preservation * Gift wrap or wrap paper, used to enclose a present * Overwrap, a wrapping of items in a package or a wrapping over packages * Plastic wrap, a thin, clear, flexible plastic used to ...

versions of the sandwich can also be made, in which the ingredients are rolled up inside a flatbread, such as a

tortilla A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indigenous peoples of M ...

. Open-faced versions of the sandwich, which feature hot chicken served with gravy on top of bread, are also common variations.

Varieties

Chicken burger

Some establishments serving

hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically Ground beef, beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles ...

s also serve chicken sandwiches, giving customers an alternative to beef. Such a sandwich may also be called "chicken on a bun" or "chicken burger" in many countries, and is served on a hamburger bun with similar condiments and toppings as found on hamburgers. While most chicken sandwiches in this context usually use fried or grilled chicken breasts, a chicken burger may also be made of a grilled or fried patty of ground chicken.

History

Chick-fil-A claims that it invented the fried chicken sandwich in the 1940s. This claim is unsubstantiated, although the Chick-fil-A southern-style chicken sandwich (served with pickles on a steamed roll), introduced on March 21, 1964, was most likely the first chicken sandwich introduced by a fast food restaurant chain. Other notable vendors of chicken sandwiches include KFC and

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., also known as Popeyes and formerly named Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits and Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken & Biscuits, is an American multinational chain of fried chicken fast food restaurants that was formed in 197 ...

. Today, most major

fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredie ...

, fast casual and

casual dining Restaurants fall into several industry classifications, based upon menu style, preparation methods and pricing, as well as the means by which the food is served to the customer. This article mainly describes the situation in the USA, while categ ...

chains feature some sort of chicken sandwich, even at restaurants where chicken is not a specialty.

Chicken salad sandwich

Chicken salad Chicken salad is any salad with chicken as a main ingredient. Other common ingredients may include mayonnaise, hard-boiled egg, celery, onion, pepper, pickles (or pickle relish) and a variety of mustards. Description In Canada and the Unite ...

served between slices of bread is a chicken sandwich variation seen both in North America and elsewhere.

Regional varieties

Ireland

In Ireland, the popular chicken fillet roll is a baguette filled with a spicy or plain Southern-fried breaded chicken fillet and a mayonnaise and/or butter spread.

Canada

The hot chicken sandwich or simply "hot chicken" (French: ''sandwich chaud au poulet'') is a chicken sandwich covered with gravy eaten with utensils. The sandwich is sometimes served with green peas and commonly found in Eastern

Canadian cuisine Canadian cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices of Canada, with regional variances around the country. First Nations and Inuit have practiced their own culinary traditions in what is now Canada since time immemorial. The adve ...

. It's especially popular in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

and is often considered one of the province's staple dishes. Since it is so commonly found in eateries of Quebec ( Rôtisserie St-Hubert,

Valentine A valentine is a card or gift given on Valentine's Day, or one's sweetheart. Valentine or Valentines may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Valentine (name), a given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional char ...

, e.g.) and less seen outside the province, many Québécois regard it as a part of Quebec cuisine and believe it to have originated in the province. This combination of chicken, gravy, and peas is known by its own term: ''galvaude'', seen in '' poutine galvaude''. The sandwich is also found in small diners in the

Canadian Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% ...

and throughout the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern po ...

. The sandwich was a working-class dish already common and well established in North American cuisine by the early 1900s and featured on the food menus of pharmacists and druggists of the time. Due to its ease of preparation and its minimal costs, the sandwich was also widely served in the mess halls and cafeterias of the mid-1900s. This style of sandwich often makes use of leftovers from a previous meal. Substituting

turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

for the chicken would make a ''hot turkey sandwich'' and substituting

roast beef Roast beef is a dish of beef that is roasted, generally served as the main dish of a meal. In the Anglosphere, roast beef is one of the meats often served at Sunday lunch or dinner. Yorkshire pudding is a standard side dish. Sliced roast bee ...

makes a variety of the roast beef sandwich.

Latin America

The pepito is a sandwich that is prepared with chicken or beef, beans or refried beans and a roll or bun as primary ingredients. It is a common

street food Street food is ready-to-eat food or drinks sold by a hawker, or vendor, in a street or at other public places, such as markets or fairs. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consump ...

in Mexico and Venezuela.

Midwestern United States

Found in Ohio is the ''shredded chicken sandwich''. The sandwich is also referred to as a ''hot chicken sandwich'' in rural Ohio. The sandwich consists of shredded chicken, one or more types of condensed soup, seasoning and crushed crackers to help thicken and bind the sauce. This dish can be heated on a stove top or slow cooker. Invented as a way to use leftover chicken, these sandwiches became popular for covered dish dinners,

potluck A potluck is a communal gathering where each guest or group contributes a different, often homemade, dish of food to be shared. Other names for a "potluck" include: potluck dinner, pitch-in, shared lunch, spread, faith supper, carry-in dinner ...

s, church dinners and

tailgate parties A tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open Trunk (automobile)#Door, tailgate of a automobile, vehicle. Tailgating, which primarily takes place in the United States and Canada, often involves consuming Alcoholic drink, alcoh ...

. They are also sold in small-town restaurants, drive-ins and bars. The sandwich can also be found at "Ohio" community dinners on the Gulf Coast of Florida held by retirees or

snowbirds The Snowbirds, officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron (french: 431e Escadron de démonstration aérienne, links=no), are the military aerobatics flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The team is based at 15 Wing ...

from Ohio.

References

External links

* {{Sandwiches American chicken dishes American sandwiches Canadian chicken dishes