The Best 1-Ingredient Upgrade for Tuna Salad Sandwiches, According to a Food Expert

J. Kenji López-Alt explains why adding this one food to your tuna salad (or chicken salad) sandwiches is genius. Adding crushed chips to salad sandwiches creates a craveable crunch and extra flavor. Chips help hold messy salad fillings in place, making sandwiches easier to eat. Add chips right before eating to keep your sandwich fresh and satisfyingly crisp. As a child, sandwich day at school was my very favorite. I can still see in my mind’s eye the tidy sandwich, crisp pickle, and adorable bag of potato chips on my lunch tray. I was the kid who took apart her sandwich to sneak a few crispy potato chips inside. At the time, I felt like I’d reached the peak of culinary innovation, instantly upgrading my turkey, tuna, or chicken salad sandwiches with a pop of saltiness and crunch. Recently, I felt instant nostalgia when I saw the real culinary innovator, J. Kenji López-Alt, share his recipe forTuna Crunch SandwichesonThe New York Times. While incredibly simple, his trick instantly upgrades any sandwich, particularly salad-based ones. Kenji crushes a handful of his favorite chips—salt & vinegar—on top of the tuna salad before adding the top slice of bread. He explains, “Beyond crunch, chips also add stability to the sandwich, holding the tuna salad in place as you eat.” Chips not only taste delicious, but they also play a crucial role in keeping a sandwich together. You’ve experienced the frustration of a messy bite into a tuna, chicken, or egg salad sandwich, only to have half of it end up in your lap. One solution would be to make a drier salad, but that doesn’t sound appealing. Adding gently crushed potato or corn chips to the sandwich helps to hold all of the goodness in place while you eat it. Now, that is

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