Chicken breast, folded into a creamy blend of mayonnaise, butter, cheese and savory seasonings, spooned open-faced onto lightly toasted English muffins and passed under the broiler until golden and bubbly.
English Muffin Chicken Melts
Last year, Dolly Parton, together with her sister Rachel, published a cookbook called Good Lookin' Cookin' (#ad) and y'all know, with a name like that, I had to grab me one!
On page 23, there was a recipe for an open-faced sandwich that they called "Chicken Feed," a recipe they had received from a friend years ago and one that had become a family favorite ever since.
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Now. They used canned chicken, and I just so happened to have some in my emergency hurricane supplies and also some English muffins that I needed to use up, so I thought it'd be a good time to try Dolly's Chicken Feed sandwiches.
They were delicious! And so, so easy y'all.
While these melts are indeed a great meal for lunch or brunch, they're also a great snack and like Crabbies, would even make great game day or party appetizers when cut into fourths and scattered on a platter.
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Here's what you'll need to make my version of Dolly's Chicken Feed aka Chicken Melts:
- 1 (5 ounce) can chicken breast, drained
- 3 English muffins, split in half
- 2 ounces Old English cheese spread or Velveeta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon real mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning blend (like Lawry's, Natures Seasons), or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning, or to taste, optional
I already had Velveeta on hand so that's what I used instead of the Old English cheese. I've already told y'all I'm not married to any one mayonnaise, though I certainly do have some brand preferences depending on what I'm making, and I certainly do use Hellman's occasionally, I used Duke's mayonnaise because that's what I had already opened in the fridge.
I have to say that despite being a little rebel on the ingredients, these were still quite tasty, so they must be fabulous with their recommendations!
I also favor the Bay's brand multigrain English muffins, although there are plenty of those to choose from these days, so use your favorite.
Place chicken in a colander and drain well; set aside. I guess I forgot to show you that but oh well. Y'all know what a colander looks like! If desired, lightly toast muffin halves and arrange on a sheet pan. I do recommend because toasting them helps to hold up against the topping.
Add the Old English or Velveeta, butter, mayonnaise and seasonings to a bowl.
Mash together.
Stir in the chicken. As noted, I'm following the sister's lead and using canned chicken, though you could certainly boil some fresh chicken breast instead. Do be mindful that canned chicken tends to be a little be heavy in sodium and apply additional seasonings with that in mind if you need to!
Break up the larger chunks of chicken, mash it in and give it a good stir.
Get your broiler fired up and divide the chicken mixture evenly among all of the English muffin halves.
Press in the chicken mixture and place baking pan under the broiler.
Broil for about 4 to 5 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly - but note, your timing may be different so keep a watchful eye on them! Let cool a couple 3 minutes before serving so you don't burn your tongue off.
As noted, these are great for lunch or brunch, or even a snack, but you can cut them into quarters and arrange on a serving platter as an appetizer too.
For more of my favorite sandwich recipes, check out this collection on my Pinterest page!
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