These chicken salad croissants are a luxurious sandwich filled with moist chicken, crispy bacon, crunchy celery and walnuts, all bound together in a lemon and mustard mayonnaise.
Perfect for using up leftover roast chicken or turkey, this savoury croissant makes the perfect brunch, lunch or picnic.
It takes just a few minutes to put this sandwich together, and the filling is so good you can use it in wraps, baguettes or just enjoy it as a salad on its own at any time of the year.
Easy, quick and totally delicious.
Bon appétit!
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While croissants are normally seen as a staple of a traditional French breakfast, served warm with lashings of jam, savoury croissants are just as delicious.
The enriched butter dough is the perfect partner for savoury croissant fillings, such as this version, which is loosely based on a Waldorf salad, as I love the combination of the chicken with the crunchy nuts and vegetables.
There are so many other combinations for savoury croissants, but this recipe is the perfect way to use up leftover roast chicken or turkey from Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving.
❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Quick and easy.
- Perfect for using up leftovers.
- Great for a brunch party or a posh lunch or picnic.
- Delicious all year round.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Chicken - leftover roast chicken or turkey. Buy ready cooked chicken if you prefer. It's good to have a combination of meat, such as breast and leg meat for added flavour. You could also use rotisserie chicken.
- Bacon - I've used smoked streaky or belly bacon beacause it goes so well with chicken. Buy it ready cooked or use raw and grill.
- Celery - excellent for crunch.
- Lemon - the lemon zest adds a lovely flavour to the mayonnaise without overpowering it. Use unwaxed lemons if using the zest.
- Spring onions - also known as scallions or green onions, they have a mild flavour.
- Mayonnaise - homemade mayonnaise or your favourite shop bought. I used a light version.
- Tarragon - ideally fresh tarragon, which adds a fresh aniseed flavour.
- Walnuts - I tend to buy walnut pieces, which are cheaper than buying walnut halves when using them in salads, stuffings and cakes.
- Salt - flaked sea salt.
- Pepper - freshly ground black pepper.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- grater for zesting
- mixing bowl
🔪 Instructions
Trim the celery and slice lengthways, then chop into small pieces.
Finely slice the onions and chop the tarragon leaves.
Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard.
Zest the lemon and add the zest to the mayonnaise.
💭 Top Tip
- Be careful to just zest the yellow part of the skin as the white pith underneath is very bitter.
Cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces and roughly chop the walnuts.
⏲️ Grilling Time
Grill the bacon over a medium to high heat for a few minutes each side until crisp.
Cut the bacon into pieces.
Add all the ingredients except the mayonnaise to the bowl.
Mix the ingredients and then add the mayonnaise.
Mix again and add the seasoning to taste, as you may need less salt depending on the bacon.
Slice the croissants and pile on the filling.
Put the lid on the savoury croissant filling and tuck in.
🥗 Side Dishes
If you are serving the chicken salad croissants as a brunch or lunch, try some of these other ideas for light bites.
- Duck Terrine with Asparagus
- Chicken Liver Parfait
- Game Terrine
- Smoked Salmon Pâté
- Pork Rillettes
- Salmon and Broccoli Quiche
- Quiche Lorraine
- Salmon Gravlax
- Savoury Cake
🥙 Substitutions
- Bacon - use cooked chopped ham or bacon lardons cooked in a dry pan for a few minutes over a medium heat.
- Fresh tarragon - rather than using a tablespoon of fresh tarragon use a teaspoon of dried tarragon.
📖 Variations
Try some of these herbs instead of tarragon.
- Parsley
- Oregano
- Basil
- Savoury
Or swap some of these ingredients.
- Dried cranberries
- Flaked almonds
- Sliced cucumber
- Grated cheddar or other hard cheese
How about these savoury croissant fillings.
- Hard boiled egg and mayonnaise
- Cheese and ham - try melting the cheese under the grill or broiler before adding the croissant lid.
- Leftover roast pork with apple sauce
- Cooked prawns and mayonnaise with chopped dill
- Bacon, egg and cheese croissant
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - not suitable for freezing.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Mix the chicken, bacon and lemon mayonnaise together in advance. Chop the vegetables and nuts and mix in just before serving.
🤔FAQs
Croissants are a form of pastry made with leavened dough.
It is a fairly lengthy process using lamination. This means that a large amount of butter is used in the dough and the dough is alternately chilled and rolled to get the flaky layers.
See the post How to make croissant dough for further details.
The original croissant originated in Austria as an enriched dough based on brioche dough.
It became popular as a celebratory pastry after a siege by Turkey and eventually the recipe made its way to France, where it has remained popular ever since..
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More sandwich and salad recipes
📋 Recipe
Chicken Salad Croissants
Equipment
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- grater for zesting
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 240 g cooked chicken
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 stick celery
- 1 zest of a lemon
- 2 spring onions
- 100 g mayonnaise low fat
- 1 tablespoon tarragon
- 40 g walnuts
- ½ teaspoon flaked sea salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 4 croissants or 6 small
Instructions
- Trim the celery and slice lengthways, then chop into small pieces.
- Finely slice the onions and chop the tarragon leaves.
- Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard.
- Zest the lemon and add the zest to the mayonnaise.
- Cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces and roughly chop the walnuts.
- Grill the bacon over a medium to high heat for a few minutes each side until crisp. Cut the bacon into pieces.
- Add all the ingredients except the mayonnaise to the bowl.
- Mix the ingredients and then add the mayonnaise. Mix again and add the seasoning to taste.
- Slice the croissants and pile on the filling.
- Put the lid on the savoury croissant filling and serve.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
Brunch & Light Bites
- Duck Croquettes2 Hours 20 Minutes
- Pâté Forestière15 Minutes
- Chicken Rillettes2 Hours 15 Minutes
- Breaded Brie6 Minutes
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
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Janessa
This chicken salad sandwich is one of my favourite things to make for lunch!
kushigalu
All my favorite ingredients are in one recipe. Thanks for sharing this croissant with chicken salad.
Mahy
I love croissants to the point when I eat them with almost everything. So this chicken salad version is a fantastic addition to the recipes I've tried to date 😉
Katherine
The croissant really takes this chicken salad sandwich to the next level! So good.
Claudia Lamascolo
That looks great and I love easy recipes like this perfect in my busy weeknight schedule!
Toni
Packed full of flavors! This is seriously amazing!
Ava M.
Everything is better with bacon, right? ^^ And I came to tell you this recipe wasn't the exception. Super delicious, easy to make, and perfect for a quick lunch.
Matej
I'm making a similar salad, just without the wallnuts... that's a great idea actually, let me try it the next time I make this dish. Great photos btw!
Farah
Looks like the perfect brunch dish! Easy to make and so impressive. Thanks for the recipe!
Tavo
These come in very handy for my friends' Wednesdays get-togethers! I just finished making them, and they are so yummy! They are going to love me!