This chicken sandwich deli meat takes just a handful of simple ingredients to make and is healthy and delicious! It is the perfect alternative to store-bought deli meat and is lower in salt, lower in cost, and has no weird preservatives!
Did you know that you can make your own sandwich deli meat at home?
And that you can make it with something as simple and as readily available as chicken breast?
You don’t need to make those giant deli loaves they have in the market, nor do you need a giant meat slicer.
All it takes is 5 ingredients, some patience, and a very sharp knife and you are winning!
Preparing and Curing
This deli meat is prepared using the Torihamu method, which I learned about through Just Bento’s Homemade Chicken “Ham” recipe*. It involves marinating the chicken breasts for at least 24 hours in salt, honey, and other seasonings. The purpose of this step is not only to flavor the meat, but also to give the meat a slightly longer refrigerator “shelf life”. Call it a homemade way of curing the meat, but without any chemical preservatives!
The marinade is made of honey, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder, and will be a very thick paste-like consistency. It might seem as if there’s not very much to coat two chicken breasts, but never fear!
Spread the marinade all over the chicken breasts (I find that using my hands work best), and then place everything in a zip top bag (I use a quart-sized freezer bag). Squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing the bag and let the chicken hang out in the fridge for 2-3 days.
After the 2-3 day curing period is done, it’s time to rinse the chicken and let it soak in a water bath for a bit. This additional step of soaking the meat in water before roasting is to desalinate the chicken, or remove some of the excess salt, while also balancing out the flavors.
Pat the chicken breasts dry and then simply roast them as is, or coat them in herbs, spices, ground black pepper, etc.
Cooking and Slicing
An important detail in this recipe is to roast the chicken breasts low and slow as it ensures the meat doesn’t dry out and become tough. You could roast the chicken breast at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time, but in the case of this deli meat, you don’t want to rush it.
After roasting, let the chicken cool down to room temperature before storing in the fridge, waiting to slice it after they are completely chilled. And VOILA!
For those of you wondering how to slice them thin without an actual meat slicer, I use a sushi knife as you can see pictured below. The blade is thinner than regular knives, and I think the holes in the blade and the nonstick surface contribute to not grabbing the meat as you slice. I also don’t rush the slicing…going a bit slower gives you greater control and it’s helps get those nice thin slices.
I’ve used chicken for this recipe because chicken breast is readily available in the grocery store at any time of the year. It’s also easy to handle (compared to a big turkey breast) and yields a decent amount of sliced meat without feeling like you have too much.
Also, as you can see from these photos, if you make two chicken breasts at once, you can make each one a different flavor!
Both chicken breasts started in the same marinade, in the same bag. But then I coated one in crushed black pepper because it is super tasty and we are all fans of pepper-crusted deli meat! You could do the same, or coat the chicken breast with spices or finely-chopped herbs for that added bit of flavor. I have also, in the absence of garlic powder, added Italian seasoning to the marinade, which imparted a delicious flavor to the meat. So you can play around a bit!
While my boys love to nibble on the meat straight from the fridge from a snack, let’s not forget that it makes for awesome sandwiches, especially with homemade gluten-free bread, like my Soft Homemade Gluten-Free Bread pictured here!
A sandwich isn’t complete with a nice stack of thinly sliced deli meat, but sandwich meat can be expensive, and this is especially the case here in Hong Kong where so much of the food is imported. Aside from cost, deli meat often contains ingredients you don’t want, like too much salt and nitrates. But with this recipe, you don’t have to worry about things like that any more!
This has got to be one of my favorite recipes that I make all the time. Easy, tasty, and healthier and more affordable than store-bought deli meat…what’s not to love?
~ Lisa.
Easy Homemade Sandwich Deli Meat
Ingredients
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (approximately 1lb. or 450 g total)
- 1 1/2 tbs honey
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Optional coatings prior to roasting:
- Crushed black pepper
- Finely chopped fresh herbs
- Spices
Instructions
Marinating:
- Combine honey, sea salt, onion powder, and garlic powder and mix well.
- Coat chicken breasts thoroughly in the honey marinade.
- Place chicken breasts in a zip-top bag. Press air out of the bag and seal.
- Refrigerate for 48-72 hours (2-3 days).
Preparing:
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and rinse with cool water.
- Place the rinsed chicken in a dish of cold water and soak 30 minutes for every 24 hours you marinated it. (See note below.)
Roasting:
- Preheat oven 250 deg F (125 C).
- Remove the chicken from the soaking water and dry well with paper towels.
- Place the chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Press crushed black pepper or finely cut fresh herbs into the chicken breast, if desired.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the internal temperature taken with an instant-read thermometer is 165 deg F (74 C).
- Let cool at room temperature about 30 minutes.
- Place chicken breasts in refrigerator until completely chilled before slicing.
- Slice the chicken breast at an angle, as thin or as thick as you like. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
- The honey marinade will be a thick and paste-like. I find it easiest to spread over the chicken breasts with my hands to make sure covers the whole surface.
- When soaking the chicken in fresh water, soak 30 minutes for every 24 hour period it was marinated. ie. 72 hours marinating = 1.5 hours soaking
- When soaking the chicken in water, I put the chicken and water in a sealable container and place it in the fridge. The purpose of this soaking step is to desalinate the chicken a bit while also balancing out the flavors.
- You can marinate it for as little as 24 hours, but I find the best flavor comes from marinating it for 48-72 hours.
- Depending on if the thickness of the chicken breasts, it may take longer than 50 minutes to roast. The most dependable way to make sure they are done is to make sure the internal temperature is 165 deg F (74 C).
Nutrition
You might also like:
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- Soft Homemade Gluten-Free Bread
-
- Soft Gluten-Free Tortilla Flatbread
-
- Soft Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread
This post was originally published on September 24th, 2018 and republished on August 31st, 2019 with instructional photos and updated writing and recipe notes.
*Link to Just Bento’s Homemade Chicken “Ham” Recipe was removed October 6th, 2019 due to the website having been removed.
Hi! Thanks so much for the recipe the just bento site isn’t working and I’ve been searching for a good and simple recipe for a chicken deli meat!
I’d like to know how long can I keep the meat in the fridge before and after cutting it? As I live alone I want to batch cook some and freeze some is it possible? Thank you for your help!
After I have cooked the chicken, I will keep it for up to 5-6 days in the fridge either as whole pieces or sliced. If you want to freeze it, I would slice the meat and store it in a freezer bag with as much air squeezed out as possible. Thanks for the question, and thanks for pointing out that the link to Just Bento isn’t working. I have removed the link.
Can this recipe be done with turkey too?
Thanks for your question, Art. While I haven’t done it myself, I can see this recipe completely working with turkey breast. You would obviously have to roast it longer until it reaches the minimum internal temperature of 165 deg F (75 C).
Hi. Ive just put my first batch of this in the fridge but found it really hard to cover the chicken. When i mixed ingredients together i had a very thick sticky mass! Ive spread as best as I can and am hoping some liquid comes out of the chicken to make marinade more fluid?
Thanks for your comments, Amanda. Yes, the marinade is quite thick and sticky and it does take a bit of effort to spread it all over the chicken; I find it easiest to spread using my hands. The marinade will thin a bit, and you can always massage the chicken in the bag a bit the next day to spread it around a bit more, but it should be okay. And then you will end up rinsing it off after the 2-3 day marinating period anyway. Please let me know how it turns out!
Is it safe to cook the chicken at such a low temperature?
Hi Amanda. Yes, it is safe to cook the chicken at 250 deg F. As long as the meat has been handled properly (as always!) and the internal temperature is 165 deg F when you remove it from the oven, it is good. Thanks for your question!
Why did you cook it at the low temperature? Just curious, usually the low and slow Meggie is for roasts and things like that.
Thanks for the question, Jeremy. Cooking the chicken meat at a lower temperature is so the meat doesn’t get dried out and you get a nicer texture for the meat.
Why do you have to soak it in water?
Thanks for the question, Brandie! Soaking the chicken in water helps to remove some of the excess salt from when it was marinating, while also balancing out some of the flavors. I have updated the post to include the explanation.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It was truly delicious and worth the wait! I’ll be making another batch in a couple of days!
Thanks for the comment, Ashley! I’m so glad you liked it!
Hi, I have chicken marinating now! I just want to double check the temp of 250 F. Is that correct? I’m so anxious to try this! I love your blog!
Thanks so much, Janet! Yes, bake at 250 deg F. Let me know how it turns out!
This is such a genius idea! I’ve always loved deli meat, but try to limit it’s use because of all the garbage they put into it. I will most definitely be giving this a try!
Thanks, Nicole! I am the same with buying deli meat, and the “healthier” options are often way too expensive. Let me know how it turns out!
We do this in our house all the time with chicken, roasts, you name it. Awesome to share it with others as it’s easy, way less costly and healthier too.
Thanks for your comment, Kristen. Isn’t making your own sandwich meat great? Once I discovered how easy it was and how I could make a healthier option to store-bought, I was hooked!
Ummmm…. I can’t believe I haven’t seen anything like this before. What a fabulous idea! I’m definitely going to give it a whirl. Now I want a sandwich lol 🙂
Thanks, Jo! I hope you like it as much as we do. And yes…makes us totally want sandwiches, too, once I’ve made some!
I love this idea! Especially because it is nitrate free. Must try this soon, so I’m pinning.
Thanks, Colleen! Making my own nitrate free deli meat was a big plus for me, too!