These chicken salad finger sandwiches are creamy, fresh, and so easy to make ahead. They look beautiful on a platter, they disappear fast, and they belong on every tea party menu.
Quick Look at This Recipe
- 📋 Recipe: Chicken Salad Finger Sandwiches
- ⏲️ Ready In: 20 minutes (plus 1 hour chill time)
- 👪 Servings: 30 finger sandwiches
- 🔪 Difficulty: Easy
- 💭 Top Tip: Make the chicken salad the day before. The flavors come together even better overnight and it cuts your morning-of prep right down.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Make them with rotisserie chicken for a no-cook option.
- The filling comes together in minutes and gets better as it sits.
- Elegant but genuinely easy. They look impressive on a tiered tray with very little effort.
- Perfect for a tea party, bridal shower, luncheon, or any gathering of friends.
- The same filling works beautifully in toast cups for a fun variation.
Jump to:
There is something about chicken salad finger sandwiches that feels like the ultimate afternoon tea experience. I've had them served at high tea in hotels in London, standing in a row on a tiered stand, crusts trimmed, soft white bread, perfect chunks of creamy chicken filling. They always disappear fast. I've been making them for tea parties ever since, and they never last long at home either.
We served them at our Little Women vintage tea party alongside our easy food processor scones and cucumber sandwiches, and they were the first thing to go.
The same filling also works beautifully in Chicken Salad Toast Cups if you want two different presentations on the same platter.
If you love tea party food, check out our full tea party food ideas post for more ideas.
Ingredients
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Rotisserie chicken: The shortcut that makes this recipe so easy. Already seasoned and moist. Remove the skin and bones and dice into small pieces. Don't have rotisserie chicken? You can use any baked, grilled, roasted, or poached chicken instead.
- Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip: Either works here. Mayo gives a richer, more classic flavor. Miracle Whip adds a slight sweetness and their famous "tangy zip". Use your preference.
- Celery: Adds crunch and freshness that balances the creamy dressing beautifully.
- Red onion: I like red onion because it's a bit sweeter, or use a sweet onion variety like Vidalia, or a regular onion. Spring onions are another good option. A small amount adds just enough bite. Dice it finely so it blends in rather than overpowering.
- Soft white sandwich bread: Traditional for finger sandwiches. Cuts cleanly and the neutral flavor lets the filling shine. Our top tip is to buy it fresh. Also at my local grocery store in the bakery section they have square loaves. These are perfect for making finger sandwiches, with less waste when you cut off the crusts, and worth looking out for.
- Real butter: Make sure it's at room temperature so you can spread it on the bread without tearing it. It adds flavor and creates a light barrier that helps prevent the bread from going soggy.
How to Make Chicken Salad Finger Sandwiches
- Step 1: Prepare the chicken. Remove all skin and bones from the rotisserie chicken. Dice the meat into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Step 2: Make the chicken salad. Add the finely diced celery, red onion, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. Stir well until everything is evenly combined.
- Step 3: Chill. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Overnight is even better. Before using, give it a stir and add a little extra mayo if it looks dry.
- Step 4: Butter the bread. Spread a thin layer of softened butter on one side of each bread slice.
- Step 5: Assemble the sandwiches. Spread a generous layer of chicken salad onto half the bread slices. Top with the remaining slices, buttered side facing in.
- Step 6: Cut. Use a sharp knife to trim the crusts from all four sides of each sandwich. Cut each crustless sandwich into three equal rectangles.
How to Serve Chicken Salad Finger Sandwiches
How many sandwiches do you need?
- For a tea party: Arrange on the bottom tier of a three-tier stand alongside cucumber and egg salad finger sandwiches. Allow 3 to 4 sandwiches total of all varieties served, per person, as part of a full tea spread with scones and sweets.
- For a shower or luncheon: Place them on a large platter and tuck fresh herb sprigs between rows for color. Allow 5 to 6 total sandwiches per person if sandwiches are the main course.
Presentation Ideas:
- For a classic high tea presentation, no garnish is needed. Arrange the sandwiches cut side out so guests can see the filling.
- For a luncheon platter, you could tuck a few sprigs of fresh parsley around the edges, but keep it simple.
- For a beautiful platter effect, make half your sandwiches with white bread and half with whole wheat, then alternate them on the platter so the colors form stripes. It looks stunning and takes no extra effort.
Make Ahead and Storage
One of the best things about this recipe is how well it works for entertaining.
- Chicken salad: Make up to 2 days ahead. Store covered in the fridge. Stir before using and add a little extra mayo if it has dried out.
- Assembled sandwiches: Make the morning of your event. Wrap the sandwiches tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Do not freeze: Mayo-based chicken salad does not freeze well.
Variations
- Chicken Salad Toast Cups Use the same filling to make toast cups. Press buttered bread slices into a muffin tin and bake at 350F for 20 to 30 minutes until golden and crispy. Fill just before serving. These are a favorite at our tea parties and always the first to go. Get the full [Chicken Salad Toast Cups] recipe here.
- Add sweetness and crunch Fold in a small handful of halved red grapes, or try chopped apple and walnuts for a Waldorf-style version.
- Add some radish Finely diced radish adds a peppery crunch and a little pop of pink color that's pretty on a spring table.
- Whole Wheat Bread: Change the bread from white to whole wheat, or do one of each for a striped appearance.
Expert Tips
- On the bread: Buy a square loaf from your grocery store bakery section if you can find one. Less waste when you trim the crusts and you get neater, more uniform fingers.
- On the chicken: Make sure your chicken pieces are diced small enough. Large chunks make the sandwiches hard to cut and harder to eat in two bites.
- On the mayo: Start with a little less mayo than you think you need, then adjust after chilling. The salad firms up as it sits and it's easier to add more than to fix an overly wet filling.
- On assembly: Butter right to the edges of the bread. It's the barrier between the filling and the bread and if you miss the edges the bread goes soggy there first.
- On serving: Arrange them cut side out on the platter so guests can see the layers. It looks much more elegant than placing them flat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Finger sandwiches are cut into long thin rectangles, designed to be eaten in two or three bites. Tea sandwiches is the broader term for any small crustless sandwich, which can be cut into rectangles, triangles, or squares. Both are traditional at afternoon tea.
For afternoon tea as part of a full spread with scones and sweets, allow 3 to 4 total finger sandwiches per person across all varieties. So if you're serving chicken salad, cucumber, and egg salad, plan for about 1 to 2 of each per person. If sandwiches are the main course at a luncheon with no other savory courses, plan for 5 to 6 total per person.
The chicken salad filling is best made the day before. Assemble the sandwiches the morning of your event for the best texture. Assembled sandwiches keep well for up to a day, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Soft white sandwich bread is traditional and works best. It cuts cleanly and has a neutral flavor that lets the filling shine. Also try a soft whole wheat bread. Avoid thick crusty breads which are too chewy to slice neatly.
Two things help: butter on the bread acts as a light barrier against moisture. And assemble only a few hours before serving.
Yes. We love the convenience and taste of a rotisserie chicken, but you can also bake, grill, or poach chicken and use it instead.
More Tea Party Recipes
If you try these chicken salad finger sandwiches or any other ideas on my blog, please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Recipe
Chicken Salad Finger Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 whole rotisserie chicken skin and bones removed, meat diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- ¼ large red onion diced
- ¾ cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 loaf white sandwich bread
- ½ cup butter softened
Instructions
- Remove all skin and bones from the rotisserie chicken. Dice the meat into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.1 whole rotisserie chicken
- Add the diced celery, red onion, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. Stir well to combine.2 stalks celery, ¼ large red onion, ¾ cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, Salt and black pepper
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before using, give it a stir and add a little extra mayo if it looks dry.
- Spread a thin layer of softened butter on one side of each bread slice.1 loaf white sandwich bread, ½ cup butter
- Spread a generous layer of chicken salad onto half the bread slices. Top with the remaining slices, buttered side facing in.
- Use a sharp knife to trim the crusts from all four sides of each sandwich. Cut each crustless sandwich into three equal rectangles.
Video
Notes
- Make the chicken salad up to 2 days ahead and store it covered in the refrigerator.
- Assemble the morning of your event.
- Do not freeze.
- A whole rotisserie chicken makes a generous amount of chicken salad, so you may have leftovers. They are delicious in Chicken Salad Toast Cups, served on crackers, or spooned into lettuce cups.
- Try adding chopped apple and walnuts or finely diced radish for a fun variation.
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