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a plain plate of closed crustless white-bread sandwich triangles filled with small roast chicken pieces, tiny red-skinned grape pieces, finely diced celery and small toasted almond bits in pale dressing
Melissa Hart

Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches

For a tray that’ll sit beside cucumber and egg sandwiches, I like chicken salad with a little sweetness and a definite crunch. Roast the breast yourself, then cut it into small pieces after chilling instead of pulling it into long strings that catch on the knife. Finely diced grapes and toasted almonds go through the filling rather than sitting in separate lumps at the edges. The sour cream dressing stays fairly lean, so stop mixing as soon as it coats the chicken. These triangles need a level filling all the way to the corners; a mound in the middle leaves half the party eating mostly bread.
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Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1 inch thick
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup finely diced seedless red grapes blotted dry
  • 1/4 cup finely diced celery
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 3 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 12 thin slices soft white sandwich bread

Method
 

  1. Heat oven to 400°F. Rub chicken with oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, then roast in a small baking dish for 22 to 28 minutes until the thickest part reaches 165°F.
  2. Toast almonds on a small pan in the same oven for 4 to 6 minutes, watching closely. Rest chicken for 5 minutes, cut into small pieces and transfer to a shallow container; refrigerate promptly for 40 minutes until cold.
  3. Crush the cooled almonds lightly. Stir sour cream, mayonnaise, Dijon and remaining salt together, then fold in the cold chicken, grapes, celery and almonds.
  4. Butter one face of each bread slice. Spread the salad equally over six slices in a flat layer reaching the edges, then close with the other six slices, buttered faces inward.
  5. Trim crusts and cut each sandwich diagonally in both directions to make four small triangles. Keep the 24 triangles covered and refrigerated; serve two per portion within 24 hours.