Smørrebrød with chicken salad, apple, tarragon and bacon.
Smørrebrød (open-faced rye bread sandwiches) with chicken salad, apple and tarragon – topped with crisp bacon and served on a good slice of coarse Danish rye bread (rugbrød). A fresh, full-flavoured chicken salad with plenty of texture, and a clever way to use up leftover chicken from the fridge.
I make the chicken salad with poached or roast chicken, cut into small dice along with crisp apple and plenty of finely chopped fresh tarragon. And the fresh tarragon really does make all the difference here. It has a wonderful aromatic flavour that goes beautifully with chicken, apple and Dijon mustard alike – so do use fresh tarragon rather than dried.
Everything is folded together with crème fraîche, a little mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and freshly squeezed lemon juice, then seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper. The result is a lovely creamy chicken salad that never feels heavy. The apple brings freshness, sweetness and a pleasing crunch, while the lemon lifts the flavour and adds a touch of acidity to the creamy dressing.
And then, of course, there is the bacon. I top each piece of smørrebrød with a rasher of bacon fried until completely crisp, and the combination of fresh, creamy chicken salad and salty bacon is simply so good. The bacon can be cooked in a frying pan, in an air fryer or in the oven – depending on how much you need to make. For a smaller batch the pan or air fryer is easy, and if you are cooking for a crowd, the oven is ideal.
Serve the chicken salad on slices of good, coarse rye bread, top with crisp bacon and garnish, if you like, with a few sorrel leaves, fennel fronds or fresh herbs. You then have the most tempting generously topped smørrebrød – one that looks inviting and tastes wonderful.
The chicken salad is perfect for lunch, as part of a smørrebrød spread, or whenever the fridge holds some leftover chicken from the day before. And of course it works just as well in a sandwich, on toast or as a filling for a croissant.
Quick, fresh and really delicious – and further proof that leftovers can easily become something you genuinely look forward to eating.
Smørrebrød with chicken salad, apple and tarragon
Ingredients
- 350 g poached or roast chicken, cut into small dice
- 1 apple, cut into small dice
- 5-6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 150 ml crème fraîche
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1-2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
- 4 slices coarse Danish rye bread (rugbrød)
- 4 rashers bacon
- Garnish e.g. sorrel leaves, fennel fronds or fresh herbs
Method
- Fry the bacon until crisp in a frying pan, in the oven or in an air fryer. Leave it to drain on a little kitchen paper.You will find the oven and air fryer methods on my website – links in the introduction.
- Stir together the crème fraîche, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and lemon juice to make the dressing, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Fold the chicken, apple and tarragon into the dressing, then taste again and adjust with more lemon juice, salt or pepper if needed.
- Divide the chicken salad between the 4 slices of coarse rye bread, top with the crisp bacon and a few fresh herbs.
Nutrition
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