We Tried Jersey Mike’s Chicken Salad Sandwich

Back in May, we announced the return of a Jersey Mike’s fan-favorite: the Chicken Salad Sandwich. For a sandwich that sounds more like the equivalent of a casual Friday in khakis, Jersey Mike’s fans were pumped about its return to the menu. So, of course, we had to try this esteemed sandwich for ourselves to decide whether or not it was worth the hype. Here are our thoughts.

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Jersey Mike’s Chicken Salad Sandwich

Pros: Some Reddit posts have described the sandwich as some messy mayo slop. Thankfully, mine was not too heavy on the mayonnaise. To be honest though, who doesn’t love a good, sloppy chicken (or tuna) salad? The mess is part of the appeal. That said, a balance of mayo in chicken salad is still preferred and Jersey Mike’s does a good job of avoiding “gloop” without being too dry. The chicken itself is also nicely proportioned―some shredded bits, with naturally sliced hunks of chicken to fatten the sandwich up. There’s also quite a lot of black pepper in here. Besides salt, black pepper really is the dominant seasoning here. And along with the crunch of fresh, crisp celery, it works to bring a bit of liveliness to the sandwich and an almost black peppery char vibe.

Cons: Not really a ton to complain about here. Reddit reviews were divided on this sandwich, despite early fanfare from Jersey Mike’s diehards. But Redditors might be angry comparing pictures of the item to the real thing, or maybe they’re just angry about something else in their lives. What I got was a decent chicken salad sandwich with a maybe underwhelming bun situation. That said, does anyone really write home about the Jersey Mike’s bread scene? A sandwich is a sandwich and there’s only so much dressing up you can do.

Final Verdict

It seems like a simple combo―but maybe that’s why it works. People tend to feel passionately about chicken salad, usually when it’s their own homemade version. Jersey Mike’s sandwich tastes like the better version of your friend’s mom’s homemade chicken salad. Plus it won’t gloop (admittedly delicious) white grease onto your lap, and the pepper actually perks up your palate, hangs out, reminds you you’re alive, and you just ate a chicken sandwich. Major plus, and maybe all the hype (which makes sense now), it tastes home-made, but you don’t have to be home to get it.