I Tried the Chicken Salad Sandwich at 4 Different Chains & The Best Was Sweet & Crunchy

Like tuna salad or egg salad, chicken salad is a dependable and versatile lunchtime option that can be served simply atop a bed of lettuce or spread on bread for a sandwich.

The original chicken salad was a concoction made simply of chicken, mayonnaise, grapes, and tarragon. But today, there are numerous iterations of the popular protein mixture, which people enjoy in many ways. Whether you use it to fill your sandwiches, dip your chips into, or simply enjoy by the forkful, chicken salad is a great option when you want something different from your classic (often dry) roasted chicken.

When you aren't in the mood to whip up your own at home or stop by your local deli or diner, there are many restaurant chains that craft their own versions of the beloved invention. Fast-food chains Arby's and Panera Bread used to serve chicken salad sandwiches, but alas, they are no longer gracing the menu. Luckily, a handful of chains still churn out these comforting handhelds.

To see who does it better than all the rest, I recently tasted the chicken salad sandwiches at four popular restaurant chains in New York City. Here's how each one ranked in descending order from my least favorite to the overall winner.

Pret A Manger

Pret offers full and half-size portions of its chicken salad sandwich, which is made with grilled chicken, whole grain mustard mayo, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, avocado, and mesclun on multi-grain bread. A half-portion cost me $7.75.

The look: The half portion comes conveniently packaged in a perfectly snug triangle-shaped box. The chain uses regular wheat sandwich bread and I can see distinct layers of lettuce, avocado, and chicken salad. It's hard to tell too much from the cross-section, but it looks more like small pieces of chicken than a typical chicken salad mixture to me, and a very minimal amount at that. There were also very small green herb flecks in the salad. When I opened up the sandwich, there was only a small scoop in the middle that didn't reach to the edges of the bread, which is disappointing.

The taste: The bread is soft and fresh-tasting and the avocado adds a really nice creamy element to the sandwich. Not all of my bites had the chicken salad, but the ones that did were satisfying if otherwise unremarkable. Although the description promised dried cranberries and sliced almonds, I only got one cranberry in my sandwich and did not notice any almonds, which would have added great flavor and texture. I also did not taste any of the promised mustard mayo. It wasn't a bad sandwich but it was honestly a bit disappointing.

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Potbelly

Potbelly doesn't have a set chicken salad sandwich on its menu, allowing customers to fully customize their sandwich to their particular preferences. Online, Potbelly recommends pairing its chicken salad with provolone, so that's what I did. I also went with the employee's suggestions for toppings, including cucumber, tomato, sliced onion, and lettuce, all on multigrain bread. Here you also have the option to choose a regular or skinny sandwich, which is a half-size portion and what I opted for. It cost me $8.09.

The look: The multigrain bread looked fresh and lightly toasted and there was a substantial amount of chicken salad—something I appreciated after being stiffed by Pret. It's also clear to see all of the layers of additions like the lettuce and tomato.

The taste: I expected to like this one more than I actually did. The sandwich overall had a slightly smoky flavor, which I enjoyed, and I could tell right away that the tomatoes were super fresh. The sandwich almost had a light and refreshing taste to it due to the tomato and cucumber. Sadly, it was also a bit watery. The chicken salad itself didn't have too much flavor and didn't really have any distinct qualities to make it stand out. It also took me a while to find the onions in the mix, but once I did, they added some much needed flavor. My favorite part of this sandwich was the bread, which I loved.

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Subway

While Subway's iteration technically falls under the chain's wrap category, the thick nature of the wrap makes it feel more substantial like a 'wich. Although the meal is completely customizable, the wrap typically comes with rotisserie-style chicken mixed with creamy mayo and topped with spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and lettuce. It cost me $8.70.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The look: My first impression was that this looked more like pita-style bread than a wrap. It was much thicker and came very loosely wrapped—which I presumed would make it quite messy. There was a good amount of chicken salad scooped into this dish and you can clearly see all of the toppings layered inside.

The taste: The chicken salad itself tastes good, albeit quite heavy on the mayo. The added layers of the tomato, cucumber, and onion really add a nice crunch to the sandwich and almost meld in with the chicken salad itself. The onion flavor is quite potent, so if you are planning a date, this might not be the meal you want. As you eat, the chicken salad smooshes out the back, making it a bit of a tricky eating situation. I was happily surprised by this sandwich. It has a good amount of flavor and intrigue, and makes for a classic chicken salad sandwich. Nothing jumped out, but it was enjoyable.

Even so, there was one sandwich that I liked much, much better.

 I Tried 10 Classic Subs at Subway & the Best Was Tasty and Filling

Forty Carrots

Forty Carrots is the café chain inside Bloomingdale's department stores that gives hungry shoppers a revitalized pep in their step. Most famous for its frozen yogurt, the restaurant also serves up a tasty menu of salads, freshly squeezed juices, and hearty sandwiches. The Sonoma Chicken Salad sandwich is made with chicken breast, raisins, celery, cashews, grapes, and light mayonnaise on your choice of bread. My sandwich also came topped with lettuce and tomato and cost a pretty penny at $19.

The look: I wasn't given the option to select my bread choice (as it had been advertised) but was pleased to find that the default is some type of multigrain bread. It came with a pickle slice on the side, as well as a carrot coleslaw of some sort—which I was also pleasantly surprised about because this sandwich was quite expensive. While the sandwich was served on regularly sized sandwich bread, the proportion of bread to chicken salad was hefty. You could see large bite-sized chunks of chicken in the chicken salad mix, as well as raisins, grapes, and cashew slivers. There were also full pieces of lettuce and tomato.

The taste: Wowzer! I loved this sandwich, so after devouring it, I was more amenable to the high price tag. The chicken salad itself tasted freshly made and had a distinct, slightly sweet flavor–like there's a hint of nutmeg in the mix. I enjoyed that the lettuce wasn't your standard iceberg and had some flavor to it, and the additions of tomato, lettuce, and other mix-ins lent a nice crunch to the sandwich. Due to the big portion size, it did become difficult and quite messy to eat, but that didn't deter me. The grapes in the salad provided a pleasant sweet and juicy bite. Whatever secret seasoning is in this salad made it one I would have on the regular.

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