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 domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adu ...

breast or thigh served between slices of bread, on a

bun A bun is a type of bread roll, typically filled with savory fillings (for example hamburger). A bun may also refer to a sweet cake in certain parts of the world. Though they come in many shapes and sizes, buns are most commonly round, and are g ...

, or on a roll. Variations on the "chicken sandwich" include the chicken burger, chicken on a bun, chickwich, hot chicken, or chicken salad 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 p ...

, 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 size, serving of ground meat and/or legumes, grains, vegetables, or Meat analogue, meat alternatives. Patties are found in multiple cuisines throughout the world. ...

, toppings and bread. The chicken meat can be

deep fried Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. Norma ...

grilled Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above, below or from the side. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat a ...

, roasted or

boiled Boiling is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapour pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding atmosphere. T ...

, served hot or cold, and white or dark meat chicken can be used. Shredded chicken in one form or another, such as chicken salad, can also be used in chicken sandwiches. Another form is made with cold cuts. Wrap 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 beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, ...

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. Today, most major fast food,

fast casual A fast casual restaurant, found primarily in the United States and Canada, does not offer full table service, but advertises higher quality food than fast food restaurants, with fewer frozen or processed ingredients. It is an intermediate conc ...

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 catego ...

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

Chicken salad sandwich

Chicken salad 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 The chicken fillet roll, also known as the hot chicken roll or chicken roll ( ga, rollóg sicín), is a baguette filled with a fillet of processed chicken. It is a ubiquitous deli item in Ireland, served at a wide variety of convenience shops, ...

is a

baguette A baguette (; ) is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, though not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. A baguette has a dia ...

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 Gravy is a sauce often made from the juices of meats that run naturally during cooking and often thickened with wheat flour or corn starch for added texture. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with gravy salt (a simple mix of salt ...

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 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 one of the thirtee ...

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, 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 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 por ...

. The sandwich was a working-class dish already common and well established in

North American cuisine North American Cuisine includes foods native to or popular in countries of North America, such as Canadian cuisine, American cuisine, African American cuisine, Mexican cuisine, Caribbean cuisine and Central American cuisine. North American cui ...

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 Leftovers are surplus foods remaining unconsumed at the end of a meal, which may be put in containers with the intention of eating later. Inedible remains like bones are considered ''waste'', not leftovers. Depending on the situation, the amoun ...

from a previous meal. Substituting

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

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 beef ...

makes a variety of the

roast beef sandwich The roast beef sandwich is a sandwich that is made out of sliced roast beef or sometimes beef loaf. It is sold at many diners in the United States, as well as fast food chains, such as Arby's and Roy Rogers Restaurants. This style of sandwich o ...

Latin America

The pepito is a sandwich that is prepared with chicken or beef, beans or

refried beans Refried beans (from es, frijoles refritos, ) is a dish of cooked and mashed beans that is a traditional staple of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, although each cuisine has a different approach when making the dish. Refried beans are also popular ...

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 consumpt ...

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 A slow cooker, also known as a crock-pot (after a trademark owned by Sunbeam Products but sometimes used generically in the English-speaking world), is a countertop electrical cooking appliance used to simmer at a lower temperature than o ...

. 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. 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