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If you think homemade sandwiches can’t compete with restaurant ones, wait until you taste this Chicken Sub Sandwich with Remoulade Sauce. The real star here is the creamy, zesty remoulade — a flavorful blend of mayo, mustard, relish, and spices that brings every bite to life. Paired with crispy chicken tenders, juicy tomatoes, and fresh lettuce, it turns a simple sub into something unforgettable. Perfect for meal prep or casual weekend lunches, this sandwich proves that the secret to an amazing sub is all in the sauce.
Over time, I’ve tried all kinds of sauces for subs and sandwiches—chipotle mayo, garlic aioli, sriracha blends—but none of them hit quite like a well-made remoulade. Once I mastered the balance of mayo, mustard, hot sauce, dill relish, horseradish, and seasoning, everything changed. Now I make a batch every week and dollop it on everything from wraps to grilled fish.
If you love sauces that bring dishes to life, you’ll also enjoy my Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce Recipe, Honey Dill Sauce, Copycat Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce, and Raising Cane’s Chicken Sauce Copycat Recipe — that elevate simple meals with bold flavor.
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview
Flavor Profile: Crispy, savory, tangy, with a creamy kick from remoulade
Cooking Method: Bake or air-fry chicken + assemble sandwiches
Skill Level: Intermediate (but totally doable!)
Occasion: Lunch, dinner, casual parties, or hearty weekend meals
Dietary Notes: Can be adjusted (use gluten-free bread, swap to vegan mayo)
Ingredients
For the Chicken Sub
- Chicken tenders (spicy or plain)
- Sub sandwich breads or rolls
- Lettuce leaves
- Tomato slices
- (Optional) Red onions, pickles, Swiss cheese
Remoulade Sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard (Dijon or yellow)
- Hot sauce
- Dill relish
- Smoked paprika
- Prepared horseradish
- Garlic powder / minced garlic
- Chili powder
- Black pepper & salt
Scroll down for recipe details.
Ingredient Spotlight: Remoulade Sauce
Remoulade is a mayonnaise-based cold sauce, born in French cuisine and later embraced by Louisiana Creole cooks. Its magic lies in how a few simple ingredients—mayo, mustard, herbs, pickles or relish, and spices—work together to create a flavor explosion: creamy, tangy, slightly spicy, and endlessly versatile.
What makes your remoulade shine is the dill relish (or relish-like pickles) and the horseradish. That bit of texture and tang elevates the sauce from “nice” to “you’ll want to drizzle it on everything.”
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the Chicken
- Bake or cook chicken tenders as directed (spicy or plain).
2. Make the Remoulade
- In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, dill relish, smoked paprika, horseradish, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Taste and adjust seasoning—add more heat, mustard, or dill relish as desired.
3. Assemble the Sub
- Slice your bread ¾ of the way through (so it opens like a book).
- Spread a generous layer of remoulade across both sides of the bread.
- Layer on lettuce, tomato slices, (optional pickles or onions), your cooked chicken, and drizzle more remoulade on top.
- If desired, add cheese and melt slightly under broil or oven.
4. Serve & Enjoy
- Serve immediately for maximum crispness. For meal prep, wrap tightly or slice in half.
What to Serve With Remoulade
Remoulade is incredibly versatile—one of those sauces that turns lots of dishes into something special:
- Use it in Po’boy sandwiches (fried shrimp or chicken)
- As a dip for French fries, sweet potato fries, or fried pickles
- Drizzle it over steak, baked fish, or roasted vegetables
- Stir it into salads (cold soba, pasta salad, or a simple green salad)
- Use it as a spread for wraps, burgers, or even roasted chicken
Pro Tips and Tricks
Want a milder version? Skip or reduce the hot sauce, and use less horseradish—kids will still love it.
Use a high-quality mayonnaise (or a good vegan mayo) for the creamiest texture.
Let the sauce rest before using—it tastes even better after the flavors meld.
If your sauce is too thick, thin with a teaspoon of pickle juice or lemon juice.
Adjust the tang or aroma with extra dill relish or fresh herbs.
Grill or broil your sandwich briefly after assembly to melt and crisp just a little.
Some Variations You May Enjoy
You can adjust your spice mixture to your liking. Some remoulade recipes suggest using creole seasoning, creole mustard, and lemon juice. You will get a tart and tangy creole remoulade sauce.
Others enjoy the taste of Cajun seasoning. They use it to kick up the taste of the remoulade. For a cheesy taste, add slices of Swiss cheese to your sub sandwich.
A layer of red onions, once combined with the remoulade sauce, takes sub sandwiches to another level. It adds a little bit of crunch to every bite.
If for any reason you can’t find sub bread, you can assemble your sandwich on French bread, like a French roll or baguette. You can also use Texas toast to form your chicken sub sandwich with remoulade sauce.
Storage & Meal Prep Tips
Let the remoulade sit for a bit (30 minutes or more) so all those flavors meld beautifully.
Store remoulade in an airtight container in the fridge—it stays good for about 1 to 2 weeks.
Make a double or triple batch and portion into small jars so you can grab one when needed.
For meal-prepped subs, keep the bread separate until the moment you eat to avoid sogginess.
The chicken can be stored separately, and sauce added fresh when serving.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No, they are two different sauces. Remoulade has mayonnaise as a main ingredient and does not need to be cooked. Buffalo sauce has hot cayenne pepper sauce as its basic ingredient.
No. Both are mayo-based and often contain pickled vegetables, but remoulade packs in more layers of flavor—mustard, horseradish, spices, hot sauce, and herbs.
The ingredient list in the recipe card has regular mayonnaise. If you have a vegan diet, replace it with vegan mayonnaise to suit your diet.
Yes, especially if you prefer a milder sauce. Just reduce heat overall or boost other flavors to balance.
Other Sauces You Must Try:
Chicken Sub Sandwich with Remoulade Salad
Ingredients
Sub ingredients
- 14 ounces chicken tenders , chicken nuggets
- 4 loaves sub bread
- 2 cups lettuce, whole or shredded
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
Remoulade Sauce Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon dill relish
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions
- First, bake the chicken according to package directions. I used Spicy Chicken Tenders.
- Now, in a small bowl, make the sauce by mixing the mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, dill relish, smoked paprika, horseradish, garlic powder, chili powder, minced garlic clove, salt, and pepper.
- Next, slice the bread 3/4 way through and begin layering.
- Then, spread a layer of the remoulade on the whole loaf and cover with lettuce.
- After that, layer your sandwiches with tomato slices and pickles.
- Finally, add a generous amount of the hot chicken strips or nuggets and drizzle more remoulade on your sandwich.
