Thinking Of Trying The Subway Orchard Chicken Salad Sandwich?

A few weeks ago, I was contacted about trying the new Subway breakfast.  I’d heard that Subway was going to start offering a breakfast menu, so I took the opportunity to sample some of the new items.  I received a $10 gift card, and off I went.  That adventure didn’t work out so well for me, but after some discussion, I ended up trying the limited time Subway Orchard Chicken Salad Sandwich.  The following is my review.

Subway Orchard Chicken Salad Sandwich

I’ll start off by saying that, when I eat out, I pick Subway pretty regularly.  Of all the options out there, Subway is generally considered to be among the more healthy.  Calorie content of foods are relatively low, and despite the sodium in most packaged meats, overall the menu items are pretty healthy by most restaurant’s standards.  So, when I agreed to try out the new breakfast menu, I thought it would be a piece of cake.

Figuratively speaking.

Not so much.

The first two Subway locations I tried in my area aren’t yet open for breakfast.  The third location I tried is out of the way for my morning commute, but close to an interstate highway, so I when I pulled in they were open, but couldn’t take orders because of a cash register problem.  A return trip the following morning found them closed.

I recognize that Subway locations are private franchises, and may not choose to offer the new menu.  That’s fine, and after some discussion, I agreed to try the new Subway Orchard Chicken Salad Sandwich.  I read up on it, and its on the “Fresh Fit” menu, and is described as a blend of chicken, celery, apples, cranberries and raisins in light mayo.  I’m not normally a cranberry and raisin kind of person, but nothing ventured, right?  Served without other toppings, this 6-inch Subway sandwich is both low in fat and comes in at an even 350-calories when served on 9-grain wheat.

The following weekend I was out with the wife and kids and my wife and I decided to swing by Subway and split a foot long Orchard Chicken Salad Sandwich.  The kids went for a Ham and Cheese sandwich.  When we placed our order, the guy hustled into the back of the store and came back with a fresh mix of the Orchard Salad.  We promptly got our meals and settled down to try it out.

My wife almost instantly complained that the sandwich was frozen.  In my mind, it was quite cold, and likely had only recently been moved from the freezer to the refrigerator.  My wife took her sandwich back and they graciously made another sandwich to replace hers.  For myself, I found it to be pretty tasty.  Perhaps a bit sweeter than I usually eat my sandwiches, but tasty nonetheless.

In retrospect, I would have probably liked it more if I had ordered it with the red onion slices.  I believe the red onion would nicely offset the sweetness imparted by the cranberries and raisins.  Although my wife may not have liked my company afterward — but that’s another story…  She, on the other hand, suggested that if you want to order one of these, make certain the mix has been thoroughly defrosted, as we can probably assume its made in advance and stored in either a freezer or very cold refrigerator.  This would make sense since its a mayo-based blend.

So would I go for the Subway Orchard Chicken Salad Sandwich again.  I’d go for it again, but I think it would have to be with the onion, just to counter the sweetness.  It’s a nice addition to the Subway menu, and a dramatically different flavor that many of the standard Subway menu items.

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