A cafe sandwich eaten in a camp chair by the third base line
The lettuce leaf is not garnish. It is a barrier between damp chicken salad and a pastry that turns to paper the moment anything wet touches it, and it buys you three hours.
Pull the meat off a grocery rotisserie chicken while it is still warm, chill it, then mix with mayo, diced celery, salt, and a real squeeze of lemon. Six dollars feeds four kids.
One thing to be firm about: this is mayonnaise and cooked chicken, so it lives on ice at 40°F or below and comes out to be eaten, not to sit on a bench through two innings.
Ingredients
The batch makes 4 croissants. Plan on about 20 minutes.
- 2 cups cooked chicken, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 croissants
- 4 lettuce leaves
How to Make It
- In a bowl, stir together the chicken, mayonnaise, celery, red onion, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Slice each croissant nearly through and lay a lettuce leaf inside.
- Spoon the chicken salad onto the lettuce so the leaf keeps the croissant from going soggy.
- Wrap each croissant snug in parchment or foil and chill until you pack the cooler.
Pack It Cold and Tidy
Chicken salad has mayo in it, so it has to stay cold from the kitchen to the sideline.
- Set the wrapped croissants against two ice packs in an insulated bag
- Keep cold food at 40F or below, and do not leave it out longer than 2 hours
- On a warm day, pack extra ice and keep the bag out of the sun
What Stays Crisp (and What Gets Soggy)
The lettuce leaf is the secret to a croissant that holds up, not one that turns to paste.
- Line the croissant with lettuce so the bread stays flaky, not damp
- Assemble the morning of so the croissant does not sit in the filling all day
- Wrap it snug so the salad does not squeeze out in the bag
- Serve with: grapes, kettle chips on the side
Parent Tip
Chop the chicken fine so the salad holds together and does not tumble out of the croissant.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Halved grapes or diced apple
A cup of either gives the sweet crunch that turns skeptics into repeat customers.
Curry powder and golden raisins
A teaspoon of curry and a handful of raisins makes it interesting for the adults too.
A soft wheat roll
Sturdier than a croissant and it does not leave flakes all over the back seat.
Greek yogurt for half the mayo
It tastes brighter and it holds up better than full mayo on a hot day.
Toasted sliced almonds
A quarter cup adds crunch that survives being packed, unlike celery cut too fine.
Plan the next step
Plan the cooler-bag nights
Use the planner to choose which games get a cold sandwich and which get a warm jar.