The Chicken Sandwich Topic (merged)

[jhlurie]

Most foodies despise the humble chicken sandwich--do a nice deep search of eGullet under that term (or "Chicken Breast") and see the scorn.

But I've always had something of a liking for one, if done properly.

My own theory:

Fried, better than Grilled.

Grilled, better than Griddled.

Must be a bit crispy on the outside if fried.

The bread must be good. Softer rolls are better than hard rolls for chicken.

Bacon.

BBQ sauce is great on red meat or pork. Chicken... not so much.

[Full disclosure: This topic occurred to me because I bought one of the cute "Chick-Fil-A" Cow calanders and have a "Free Chicken Sandwich" coupon to use up.]

Possible discussion:

-best fast food chicken sandwich (I'm voting Chick-Fil-A, even without the coupon)

-best home preparation

Edited January 7, 2003 by jhlurie (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Meet one "foodie" who doesn't.

A cold sliced chicken sandwich (from either leftover roast chicken or leftover fried chicken) on a baguette or an Italian hero with any of the following combinations:

Bibb or butter lettuce, Canadian bacon, sliced plum tomatoes, thinly sliced Vidalia onions, roasted pepper aioli;

Roasted garlic mayonnaise, slices of queso blanco, fresh cracked black pepper, sliced beefsteak tomatoes;

either cranberry honey mustard, or Russian dressing, fried green tomatoes dusted in spicy cornmeal, bacon and bacon drippings (sometimes I substitute bits of fried pancetta for the bacon)

salsa verde or other type of freshly made salsa (maybe some pureed chipotles en adobo), avocado, either Spanish or Filipino chorizo, and thinly sliced Vidalia or Bermuda onion.

SA

[Jinmyo]

Minimum: thigh meat, cold butter, fresh mayonaisse, good bread (perhaps toasted). A range of variations from chipotle to watercress.

As for chicken breast. Feh. Carnivore's cotton tofu. Less than worthless because a chicken still died instead of just skimming scum from soybeans.

[Sandra Levine]

There's no comparison between a fast-food chicken sandwich and one made at home. One is an abomination, the other a delight. A chicken sandwich made from a high-quality, home-roasted chicken is one of the best sandwiches you can ever hope to eat.

I like mine on rye or sourdough bread.

Edited January 7, 2003 by Sandra Levine (log)

[maggiethecat]

There's no comparison between a fast-food chicken sandwich and one made at home.  One is an abomination, the other a delight.  A chicken sandwich made from a high-quality, home-roasted chicken is one of the best sandwiches you can ever hope to eat.

I like mine on rye or sourdough bread.

Yes! And for me a chicken sarmie always means leftover roast.

*A good (and softish) white roll or bread, buttered

*Finely sliced chicken...sorry Jin: the chicken can't help it that it has breasts. I actually prefer white meat cold. Thigh excellent too.

*No lettuce!

*Lots of good mayo.

*Lots of pepper

Man, do I wish I had some leftover roast chicken in the fridge!

[Jaymes]

Love Mexican "chicken sandwiches," i.e., chicken halves or quarters marinated in citrus juices and chiles and garlic, then grilled over an open flame.

You pull off tender, juicy, flavorful hunks of chicken meat and place them in a warm tortilla (I like flour best) with some good home-made salsa or pico de gallo, and maybe a slice of avocado, roll it up and eat.

It's the very best, as far as I'm concerned.

[Anna N]

Meet one "foodie" who doesn't.  

A cold sliced chicken sandwich (from either leftover roast chicken or leftover fried chicken) on a baguette or an Italian hero with any of the following combinations:

Bibb or butter lettuce, Canadian bacon, sliced plum tomatoes, thinly sliced Vidalia onions, roasted pepper aioli;

Roasted garlic mayonnaise, slices of queso blanco, fresh cracked black pepper, sliced beefsteak tomatoes;

either cranberry honey mustard, or Russian dressing, fried green tomatoes dusted in spicy cornmeal, bacon and bacon drippings (sometimes I substitute bits of fried pancetta for the bacon)

salsa verde or other type of freshly made salsa (maybe some pureed chipotles en adobo), avocado, either Spanish or Filipino chorizo, and thinly sliced Vidalia or Bermuda onion.

SA

Who knew you could make a chicken sandwich interesting. Thanks, I'll be certain to try a few of these.

[Wilfrid]

You used to be able to get a decent fresh roasted chicken sandwich in the average British high street sandwich shop. Processed chicken roll was making inroads when I expatriated, however.

I would go for roast chicken, some dark meat at least please, on soft white bread, and I am afraid I love it smothered with mayo. Hellmann's will do. Shoot me.

[SobaAddict70]

they're really variations on a BLT.

I think if I were to do the fast food option, and I've been known to do that on occasion, that Wendy's would fit the bill. McD's never comes close -- too skimpy. I want a sandwich with some HEFT to it.

Still, homemade is best.

SA

[ruthcooks]

How about this one:

Homemade oatmeal bread (I love James Beard's recipe)

Sliced roast chicken at room temperature

Warm hard-cooked egg slices

Homemade herb mayo with dill, chives or green onion,

parsley and any other you fancy

[SobaAddict70]

Oh, I forgot to include a couple more (ideas that just hit me):

taking a page from a visit to GT last year with cabrales and I, you might also think about:

thin slices of seared foie gras, thinly sliced or shredded dark chicken meat (either from a leg or thigh will do), citrus reduction (fresh OJ, reduced and mounted with butter; add chopped crystallized ginger or a smidge of fresh grated ginger (maybe slivered crystallized or dried orange peel); stir for a bit, then strain), a TINY amount of slivered piquillo peppers.

thinly sliced or shredded chicken breast (from either leftover roast chicken or cold poached chicken, or even red-cooked chicken), sauteed sweet peppers, shredded lettuce, sprouts (either alfalfa or bean sprouts); drizzled with a sauce of mushroom soy, sesame oil, a splash of mirin, and a smidge of either hoisin sauce, Chinese hot mustard or spicy red bean paste, chopped scallions, minced ginger or garlic. maybe substitute shredded duck meat (and skin) from either a roast duck or Cantonese bbq or red-cooked duck.

you've got me on a roll...and I'm starting to get hungry again.

not sure if these work, but they sound like a project in the near future. heh.

SA

Edited January 7, 2003 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[ruthcooks]

How about this one:

Homemade oatmeal bread (I love James Beard's recipe)

or challah

Sliced roast chicken at room temperature

Warm hard-cooked egg slices

Homemade herb mayo with dill, chives or green onion,

parsley and any other herbs you fancy

(May be made with only chicken or only egg slices)

Or this one:

Brioche hamburger bun

Chicken Scallopini

Tomato chutney mixed with sour cream or mayo

Thin, sweet onion slices

[Suzanne F]

Does chicken shawarma count? Alphanoose, on Fulton Street in lower Manhattan, takes the usual gyro-type chicken, but after cutting it off the slab they cook it some more on the flattop with onions and spices. Then they serve it in superthin pita with tahini, hot sauce (if desired), iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, turnip batonets pickled with beet juice, and maybe a couple of other things as well.

When we were finishing the Peterson-roasted chicken I used the last half-breast for sandwiches on baguette with bacon, watercress, sliced grape tomatoes, and Peterson-recipe mayonnaise. Club sandwich without the extra bread. Nice. Although as a rule we prefer dark meat.

Much as I like Popeye's chicken, their sandwich is awful. Likewise the sandwich from Pluck U., and the "Chicken Pojarski" from what may now be the late, unlamented Blini Hut across the street from me. Because they are not made with chicken, but some sort of pre-chewed patty. Ugh.

[guajolote]

Here's another Mecxican one

Chicken Torta

1 bolillo (any crusty roll will work)

refried beans

shredded chicken

sliced onion

avacado slices

crema

queso fresca

salsa

[jhlurie]

Part of my reasoning for this thread was to cause a little trouble. Plotnicki contends that Pasta is dull, with very little taste, and thus of very little worth. His own argument--in my opinion--was successfully turned against him in that the many of us were perfectly happy for Pasta to serve as a "platform" for other things... sauces, spices, etc.

I (almost) make the same argument for the Chicken Sandwich--especially the plain old breast. Even the Chick-Fil-A sandwich I used as an example (no match for a good homemade, as Sandra says, but as arguably as good as mass-produced Chicken Breast sandwiches can get) is just a platform for the breading and oil that they use. And many of the other "favorite" chicken sandwiches people have? Bacon... sauce... lettuce... tomato... cranberry... onion... egg... mayo...

Shall I go on?

So its just a way to convey other things into your mouth. Unlike Plotz, I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. And food is sometimes texture as much as taste, and I happen to love the texture of a good fried chicken breast. So its got that going for it too (sorry, Jinmyo, I like Tofu but it just doesn't have the same texture).

Be proud of your chicken sandwich and its various toppings, I say. Except for BBQ. I was being straight about that. BBQ sauce on chicken is... for TOURISTS!

Edited January 7, 2003 by jhlurie (log)

[jhlurie]

So I'm walking around Central Park South in Manhattan yesterday and two urges overcome me simultaneously:

1.) I'm really really hungry because I missed lunch, but I'm not feeling very ambitous.

2.) I'm in a curious mood, and feel an odd desire to stare at Owls. Maybe it was all of the birds in the park...

Well, luckily for me, about two blocks away, is Hooters--a kind of mecca devoted to Owls, and I'd never been there--at least to the Manhattan location.

Hooters is an odd place. I mean, all of those pictures of Owls--on shirts, on the wall, on shirts, on the menus, on shirts... its a bit distracting.

I'd also been having a strange craving for a Hooter's Buffalo Chicken Sandwich--which I don't think I've had since I was in Tampa about a year and a half ago. Joke all you want, but:

a.) its fried

b.) its sufficiently spicy

c.) its very large, but not at all dry

d.) it has nothing to do with Owls, but is served in an Owl-filled environment

e.) if you ditch the unnecessary side order of curly fries, you can suck down an extra beer with it

Am I the only one who is able to see past the shiny corporate pseudo-chain status of Hooters and enjoy the chicken sandwich, and all of the pictures of owls?

[Jason Perlow]

It aint the owls that gives the place its appeal... frankly I am starting to worry about you, dude. Please tell me you at least spent SOME time gawking at the waitstaff...

[jhlurie]

It aint the owls that gives the place its appeal... frankly I am starting to worry about you, dude. Please tell me you at least spent SOME time gawking at the waitstaff...

Er. Jason. Ummm. Did the code talk get by you? Hello? Anybody home?

Besides, we are talking about Chicken Sandwiches.

[KatieLoeb]

Here in Philadelphia, Bitar's (Lebanese owned sandwich shop/grocery) makes what they call an "Angelo Cataldi" sandwich. Grilled chicken breast, roasted red pepper spread, marinated string cheese and lettuce on pita bread. Very yummy!

Chick-Fil-A is probably some of the only "fast food" I'll eat.

[Jason Perlow]

It aint the owls that gives the place its appeal... frankly I am starting to worry about you, dude. Please tell me you at least spent SOME time gawking at the waitstaff...

Er. Jason. Ummm. Did the code talk get by you? Hello? Anybody home?

Besides, we are talking about Chicken Sandwiches.

Were the breasts nice and juicy?

[jhlurie]

Besides, we are talking about Chicken Sandwiches.

Were the breasts nice and juicy?

[Schielke]

Does anybody remember the 'chicken little' sandwiches you could get at KFC for 50 cents a pop back in the day.

Those things were so good.

Soft bun

Fried chicken patty

smear of mayo

[mamster]

I absolutely love the chicken sandwiches at Island Burgers & Shakes on 9th avenue in Manhattan. I can't hope to replicate them at home since (a) I don't have a grill, and (b) I don't have six billion ingredients on hand at all time. Their burgers are okay if you can convince them not to incinerate them, but the chicken is great every time--awesome grill flavor, high quality toppings, good choice of bread. I'm not sure what their secret is besides grill control (they get just this side of burnt and then pull so you get awesome char without charcoal). Maybe they brine.

[Jason Perlow]

Chick-Fil-A is probably some of the only "fast food" I'll eat.

They do make a damn good chicken sandwich. I wish there were more of them in Jersey.

[elyse]

Besides, we are talking about Chicken Sandwiches.

Were the breasts nice and juicy?

Good lord... ruin a nice discussion about Owls with obvious double entrendes, will you? For shame!