Tom Kha Chicken Salad Sandwich
This chicken salad uses equal parts coconut cream and mayo, as well as some Thai herbs, to emulate the flavors of tom kha chicken soup! Tom Kha Gai is one of the first Thai dishes I ever had, and is still one of my favorites. Weirdly, the flavors translate perfectly to a sandwich!
The inspiration for this recipe
I have turned soups into sandwiches a bunch over the years. Like for example this Italian Wedding Soup Sandwich. I had the idea of doing a chicken salad with some Thai flavors, and realized I could use the idea of tom kha as a jumping off point!
Poach the chicken first
I infused lemongrass and lime leaf into this broth, then poached the chicken in it. After it cools, remove from th broth and chop it up. Save the broth cause we will use a little bit later in the chicken salad.
Make the tom kha chicken salad
Cooked mushrooms, Thai chilis, cilantro, scallions, garlic, and ginger. Galangal would be more traditional for this soup but I had ginger around.
Now add the saucy ingredients. Coconut cream, lime, mayo, and that broth we used to poach the chicken! There is a little fish sauce in there too. I also put the coconut cream into the fridge overnight so that I would use the extra thick part and not the watery part. Let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour to thicken and let the flavors come together.
Make the tom kha chicken salad sandwich
Light mayo on the bread. There is already a lot of mayo in the tom kha chicken salad. Then cheese! I used a mix of american and colby jack. You could use anything on this! I almost did provolone but changed last minute. Then tomato and cucumber, the chicken salad, and some cilantro.
Serve the tom kha chicken salad sandwich
I like to wrap my sandwiches in parchment to help them build a good sandwich integrity. This helps when you eat it to stay together better.
Soooo much flavor in this sandwich! And it tasted more like the soup than I even expected!
Twists on this recipe
You could use galangal instead of ginger. You could skip the lime leaf if you can’t find it. It’s hard to find! You could also use the jar of lemongrass if it’s easier for you, or even the easy squeeze tube. If you have the tube, you could add some directly into the chicken salad too. Also if you want to sub the fish sauce, I think worcestershire is the best match. Some people will say soy sauce but I don’t think it is a good sub for fish sauce.
If you are looking for a traditional Tom Kha Gai, I like this recipe.
If you like this recipe, check out my corn chicken salad sandwich, or this lemon pepper chicken caesar!
Tom Kha Chicken Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
Poach the chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 4 lime leaves
- 2 cups chicken stock
- salt and pepper
Make the chicken salad
- olive oil
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 2 thai chilis or more to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
- 3 scallion chopped
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 1 clove garlic gratd
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce or more to taste
- 1 lime (juice of)
- 1/4 cup mayo
Make the sandwiches
- 3 sub rolls
- mayo
- 9 slices cheese I used American and colby jack
- sliced tomato
- sliced cucumber
- cilantro
Instructions
Poch the chicken
- Add the chicken to a small sauce pan. Remove one or two outer layers of the lemongrass and cut off the top and bottom. Cut into 2 inch pieces and add them to the pan. Add in the lime leaves
- Pour in the broth with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered, flipping the chicken occasionally, until it is cooked through and the broth has reduced a bit. About 20 minutes.
- Pour the broth and chicken into a bowl and cover. Set in the fridge to cool for at least 1 hour.
Make the chicken salad
- Put some olive oil into a large frying pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often, until browned and reduced in size. Let cool for 5 minutes while you cut the chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the broth and cut against the grain into small 1/2 inch pieces. Add to a large bowl.
- Add in the mushrooms and all the remaining chicken salad ingredients. Add in 1/4 cup of the broth that the chicken was cooked in. (Do not add the lemongrass or lime leaf from the broth)
- Stir well to combine. Allow to cool in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.
Make the sandwiches
- Warm the bread under the broiler on all sides to soften. Slice open, leaving the hinge. Spread the insides very lightly with mayo.
- Add cheese, then line with the tomato and cucumber slices. Add on the chicken salad, and top with some cilantro.
- Wrap with parchment to help with sandwich integrity, or serve immediately!