Spicy Honey Chicken Sandwich with Basil Zhoug

Makes 2-4 Sandwiches

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I know mommy Alison Roman wouldn't approve, she doesn't do sandwiches, but sometimes, (only sometimes) we have to disagree. I'm sorry. I make sandwiches for a living - I genuinely make sandwiches everyday at my catering chef job. Much to my dismay, my nickname is The Sandwich lady. Job? Romy what job?? Let's talk about it. I had a choice, get a job, continue to make negative money, or go back to school. I considered culinary school but I thought it might be more chic to get paid and learn at the same time. So I applied for a job at a catering company, fully knowing I'd be on grunt work. Unqualified who? Unqualified you gal.

I pry as often and as intrusively as I can. Luckily, the senior boys in the kitchen have caught on and are so kind to teach me when they can. I don't foresee being a restaurant chef well into the future or anything (never say never though) but what better way to learn and upskill than from professionals and still get paid to be there? I still don't know what my future career path will be (how bloody annoying), so why not dive into something I love while I figure all that out.

Recipe

Ingredients

Basil & Coriander Zhoug

• 1 cup of basil

• 1 cup of coriander

• 1 green chilli (deseeded)

• 1/4 cup of greek yoghurt

• 1/3 cup of olive oil

• 1 teaspoon of cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

Pretzel Chicken

• 1 cup of pretzels

• 1 teaspoon of paprika

• 1 teaspoon of chilli powder

• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

• 1 egg, whisked

• 2 chicken breasts

• Vegetable oil

• Honey

Sandwich

• 2 baguettes, sliced in half

• Olive oil or butter

• Pretzel coated chicken

• 1 ball of mozzarella, sliced into 1 cm circles

• Basil & coriander zhoug

• Rocket (arugula)

• Red pepper mayonnaise¹

• Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Basil & Coriander Zhoug

1. Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Set aside in the fridge until you make your sandwich.

Pretzel Chicken

1. Blitz the pretzels in a blender or food processor until you get a fine powder. Then mix in the spices and salt & pepper.

2. Dredge your chicken breasts through the whisked egg.

3. Dredge your chicken breasts through the pretzel crumb mixture making sure to pat the pretzel coating into the chicken to get as thick a coating as possible.

4. Pour enough vegetable oil into a pan to shallow fry your chicken breasts (about 1/4 - 1/3 cup). Heat the oil up until glistening then add in your crumbed chicken. Cook on either side until crispy and the chicken is cooked through (about 3-4 minutes a side). Drizzle a generous amount of honey over the hot chicken then leave to rest for at least 5 minutes.

Sandwich

1. Brush olive oil or butter over the cut side of the baguette halves then place into the oven at 180c (fan bake) or cut-side down on a frying pan for 5 minutes to get them golden and crunchy.

2. Smear your mayo across both sides of the baguette. Layer your rocket, chicken, and mozzarella on the bottom of the baguette. You can grill or torch the mozzarella if you want to make it melty. Then generously drizzle more honey over the top and pour over the zhoug. Season with salt and pepper and top with the other half of the baguette. Slice and serve! Enjoy xx

Notes:

1. I made a quick red pepper mayo but you can skip this step and just blitz 1 roasted red pepper with store bought mayo to save time.

Stay Salty,

Romy xx