Did you know that chicken sandwiches account for a whopping 31 per cent of the total sandwich market? We consume 43,000 tonnes of chicken a year just in packaged sandwiches, making it the nation’s most consumed packaged sandwich ingredient. That’s three times as much as the second most consumed ingredient, cheese, of which we consume just 16,000 tonnes a year!
Unsurprisingly, the nation’s number one favourite packaged sandwich is chicken-based. Find out what it is below, but don’t worry if it doesn’t take your fancy because there are over 200 different chicken sandwiches to choose from across all the supermarkets and high street shops!
That’s right. If you like your sandwiches with chicken, you’re not alone.
There is a variety of accompanying ingredients of a chicken sandwich to choose from. These range from light salad ingredients to indulgent meat ingredients such as bacon or sausage. The most common combinations include:
- the chicken & bacon sandwich
- the chicken salad sandwich
- the chicken & stuffing sandwich
- the southern fried chicken sandwich (goujons of chicken in breadcrumbs)
- the chicken & chorizo sandwich
- the chicken & pesto sandwich
- the chicken & avocado sandwich.
The price of a chicken sandwich can vary greatly as well. The plain Boots chicken mayo sandwich and Asda chicken mayo sandwich are as little as £1. At the other end of the scale, the ‘luxury’ deli bag sandwiches such as the M&S British roast chicken & Beechwood smoked bacon sandwich and the Boots chicken, bacon & avocado sandwich can be over £3.50 and nearing £4. On the whole, chicken is one of the best value sandwich meats available.
Chicken in itself is a healthy sandwich filling, but extra ingredients such as bacon or stuffing can inflate the calorie and fat content and other measures of the nutrition of a chicken sandwich. Also, chicken sandwiches of larger portions, such as the Tesco roast chicken & stuffing triple sandwich (718kcal, 31.5g of fat) or the M&S club sandwich (648kcal, 32.9g of fat), will have much higher fat and calories. Otherwise, you can get a healthy lunch out of a light chicken sandwich with plenty of salad.
Top Chicken Sandwiches
If chicken sandwiches account for a whopping 31 per cent of the total sandwich market, you can guess that quite a few of the nation’s favourite sandwiches will be chicken-based. According to a 2014 survey by the British Sandwich association, these are the top chicken sandwiches in order:
- Chicken & bacon sandwich
- Chicken salad sandwich
- Chicken & stuffing sandwich
- Southern fried chicken sandwich
In fact, chicken & bacon is the nation’s number one favourite packaged sandwich overall.
Fun Facts
- Least calories: Tesco Healthy Living Chicken Salad sandwich (254kcal)
- Most calories: Asda Chicken & Bacon Caesar Triple Wrap (734kcal)
- Most protein: Tesco Butter Basted Roast Chicken sandwich (41.0g)
- Heaviest: (326g)
Turkey and Duck Sandwiches
While chicken is queen, the sandwich market also features a small selection of turkey and duck products.
Turkey sandwiches are extremely varied. Some come with ham, such as the M&S turkey & smoked ham salad sandwich. Others just come with salad, such as the Morrisons smoked turkey & salad sandwich or the EAT. turkey & cranberry sandwich. Some are even subs rather than sandwiches, such as the Asda turkey & ham sub or the Boots turkey & smoked ham roll.
There are no duck sandwiches on the market, but many chains sell hoisin duck wraps. Hoisin is a dark brown Chinese sauce. If you’re extra hungry, there is even a Tesco hoisin duck triple wrap.
