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!
Reader Testimonial: "Yessss! This recipe came out wonderful and it had such a lovely flavor. I can enjoy sandwiches again!! We do everything from scratch do avoid any chemicals in our foods. So glad I decided to make this recipe. Definitely a keeper!" - Cas
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.
Watch How To Make It
Recipe
Easy Homemade Sandwich Deli Meat
Ingredients
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (approximately 1lb. or 450 g total)
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Optional coatings prior to roasting:
- Black pepper
- Dried 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 (make sure the chicken is submerged) 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 black pepper or dried 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, making sure the chicken is submerged in the water. The purpose of this soaking step is to desalinate the chicken 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).
- I have found that dried herbs work better than fresh when roasting the meat.
Nutrition
Video added June 9th, 2023.
Sharan says
What does the honey do?
Can't wait to try this!
Hi Sharan! The honey adds flavor to the meat, and it also helps to spread the spices around the chicken breasts. Thanks for the question!
Oscar says
Hi Lisa
Great explanation of the process.
Excited to try this, question, can you use fresh garlic instead of powder?
I gave it a five untried because I didn’t want to hurt the rating.
It is obviously a very successful formula.
Hi Oscar! Yes, you can definitely try it with fresh garlic. I would just make sure it's minced fine so you get good coverage over the chicken breasts while they're marinating. Thanks for the question and also for being considerate of not hurting the rating! I appreciate that!
Pushp says
Hi does the marinade get watery after a day?
Hello! The marinade does thin out a bit, but it is not an issue. Thank for the question!
Pushpa Manukonda says
Thank you so much for your prompt response. Appreciate you sharing this recipe. Thank you again!!!
Vinotha Priyanka says
Hi Lisa!
Thank you for providing an amazing recipe. I have a question though, do i need to soak and change the water of the chicken during the soaking process).
So every 30 mins of 24 hours soaking?
Hi Vinotha! Thank you for the question. You do not need to change the water while you are soaking it. If you marinated the chicken for 48 hours, you leave the chicken in the water for 1 hour and that's it. I hope that helps!
Tiffany Billings says
I was a little nervous about doing my own lunch meat. I will NEVER buy store brought lunch meat again!! Thank you, for sharing this recipe. I followed the recipe except for the roasting spices. I made my own and used it. I shared the results with some coworkers, they all said it was good 😊!!
Thanks, Tiffany! So glad you and your coworkers liked it!
Meg says
Can I use bone in turkey breast instead of the boneless chicken?
Thanks for the question, Meg! I have had readers make this recipe successfully with boneless turkey breast, but I am not sure about bone-in. You also would not get seasoning on the part of the turkey breast that is against the bone. Perhaps you could try it boneless?
Stacy says
I followed the recipe and the meat is excellent! Seasoned with black paper and Dan’O’s chipotle. I will definitely be making this again!
Thank you!
Thanks so much, Stacy!
Machelle Pecoraro says
Hey there ! I am wondering if I have to use the salt ? My husband is a recent bypass patient and is loso…. I understand it is to “cure” the meat and make it more stable …. But would it matter to leave the salt out or sub a no salt in with the onion, garlic and onion powder and just eat it quicker? Also , he has to Watch sugar as well, so I’m thinking maybe mix less onion and maybe a mustard ?
Thoughts ?
Hi Machelle! If you omit the salt, then I think that whatever you put on the chicken breasts becomes more of a marinade and I'm not sure what the texture of the meat would be like. If you do try this, I would probably marinate it for no more than 24 hours and then roast it like it says in the recipe. Thanks for the question, and if you give it a try, please report back!
Carly says
This recipe is AMAZING! This is the second time I am following this recipe for chicken breast lunch meat and my whole family raves about it. I do some with cracked pepper and some with dried Italian herbs. I make it in large batches and after slicing the meat, I use a FoodSaver to prep for freezing. It defrosts beautifully. Cant recommend this recipe enough!
Thanks so much for making the recipe, Carly! I'm so glad your family likes it and using dried Italian herbs sounds really good!
Maggie says
Hi can I use this method for turkey breast? How about pork or beef?
Hi Maggie! I have not made it with turkey breast, but other readers have made it with successful results. From what they have said, you will need to roast it longer and the most important step is to check the internal temperature to make sure it is done. I do not know about curing ham or beef for deli meat and I believe they may use a different process. Thanks for the question, and I hope that helps.
Dustin Kipp says
Great recipe. I just use my smoker instead of the oven. Turns out amazing. I also do it with a top round roast to 128 internal. Then sear on the grill for roast beef. Smoke at 250.
Hi Dustin! Thanks so much for sharing how it works using the smoker, and also that you've done it with beef! Sounds delicious!
Heather says
Is it safe to marinate chicken as long as suggested? I’ve also read that chicken starts to break down when it’s marinating for more than 24 hrs. And most places say it’s not good to. I’m not criticizing just genuinely asking. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times now but I’ve never marinated for more than 24hrs and while we love this recipe I always feel the flavor is lacking. Thoughts?
Hi Heather! Thanks for the question. I, too, have read about the 24 hour limit on marinating, but I have never had any issue in terms of the quality of the chicken meat deteriorating (nor has any other readers, it seems). Before developing this recipe, I had also read other recipes where they mentioned marinating/curing for more than 24 hours, but no more than 72. You could try marinating for 48 hours to see if the flavor gets stronger. Hope that helps.
Jane says
I can't wait to try this! As to the length of time for marinating. I believe that the 24 hour time limit pertains to the normal marinade which contains an acid component. This is a salt/sugar/spice marinade which cures the meat as opposed to tenderizing it with an acid such as wine/citrus/vinegar. I'm going to do the 48 hour time for the cure.
Abby Babcock says
Hey there! I am really excited to try this recipe! How long will this chicken keep for in the fridge?
Thanks for the question, Abby! I say that the deli meat will keep for up to 1 week. Slices can also be frozen so they last longer. Hope that helps!
Barbara says
Hi Lisa.
Im new to your site. I googled lunch meat recipes and found yours. I want to try this but it's so hot and I don't want yo have the oven on for an hour. Do you think this would work in the slow cooker? Perhaps on a tray with a little water underneath?
Thanks
Thank you for the question, Barbara! I'm glad you found my recipe! Unfortunately, I do not know how it would work in a slow cooker as it's a completely different method of cooking the chicken breast and I'm not sure how it would turn out, nor do I know how long you would cook it for. If you decide to try it in the slow cooker, please let me know how it turns out.
Murray says
Well...I added some finely chopped ginger but was amazed with the flavour that such a simple marinade got out of chicken breast. I went 3 days, I wanted to go 2 but life got in the way.
I know I should always try the original recipe first but thought ginger would go well. Amazingly flavourful and I will be doing this many times in the future. I never expected this recipe to work out so well (with or without messing about with it).
It really takes a lot to make me impressed enough to leave a comment - I loved this. Greetings from Australia Lisa, and thanks for a great lunch meat! I look forward to more messing around with it - curry powder maybe...we'll see
Hello to you in Australia, Murray! Thank you for trying the recipe...I'm so glad it impressed you enough to leave a comment. Thanks, too, for sharing your idea of putting ginger in the marinade...it sounds like a tasty suggestion! Feel free to report back and share any other flavor modifications you try!
Cait says
The texture was great but I’m not a fan of sweet deli meat. I had hoped that rinsing and soaking them would cut the sweet more. The chicken breast I coated with Cajun seasoning masked the sweet better than the cracked pepper so the meat will still get used! Will brine next round instead of the honey method.
Hi Cait! Thanks for trying the recipe! Let me know how brining works for the deli meat!
Jess says
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was just what i was looking for. Do you think this would work as well with chicken thighs? Have you ever tried it?
Thanks for the question, Jess! I have never used chicken thighs for this recipe, so I'm not sure what the final result would be. If you give it a try, please let me know how they turn out!