29 March 2011

Y'all want a great summer sandwich recipe? Ryan and I have been making this bad boy for years (I originally found the recipe in one of my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks - because really, you can't go wrong with the Contessa!), and it's always a hit to serve for company (just ask Keight!)

And so, I give you, a Caesar salad on a bun (think of the bread as the croutons!):

The Caesar Club Sandwich

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Ingredients
2 chicken breasts (bone-in or boneless)
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
1 large ciabatta loaf (you can pick up a fresh loaf at Panera for $2.50)
2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil (I sometimes skip these, but Ryan likes them!)
2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved
Caesar salad dressing

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Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts in a glass baking dish skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pancetta on a sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on both cut sides and toast the bread in the oven, cut sides up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in quarters crosswise. Serve at room temperature with lemonade or sweet tea and some good baked rosemary potato fries.

My friend Jen and her family are planning a visit this weekend and I'm thinking of busting out my favorite sammie for her and her crew. Yum!

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18 comments:

Sarah-Anne said...

oh, YUM!!

JessicaB said...

Good thing that Contessa finally agreed to do the Make a Wish with that small boy that has cancer. It was a shame she told him no 2 times until there was a media uproar over it. She has always been one of my favorites too. Until this...
Jessica

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

yum that sounds good!

Nicole said...

That sounds amazing!

Lollipops & Pig Tails said...

Yum!

Annabelle Gettman said...

Great idea! I do something similar, but on a pizza instead. It's one of our favorites!

keight dukes said...

"good" olive oil...please, ina. i will use BOGO publix brand, thank you. and it will STILL be delicious. i am drooling. no joke.

Lindsey said...

Now I am hungry :)

DeborahRobson said...

looks very yummy. can't wait to try this!

Unknown said...

Looks so good! I will definitely be trying this one!

nic said...

ooh that looks fantastic. seems every time i pop in here i'm salivating over something...at least this time it's actual food! ;)

The Harris Family said...

This post was so inspiring I went put and bought the ingredients to make it last night! It was wonderful! Too bad the weather here in MI does not realize that it is to get warm soon (it was a summer sandwich and all...haha)... I keep praying that it does get warm though. Thank you for sharing this sandwich idea and hope your visit/dinnersandwhich goes well this weekend with your friend.

The Harris Family said...

Out...oops

Krista said...

Summer seems a loooong way off (it's like 40 degrees here) but mmmm does that look good! Thanks for the recipe! And the tip about Panera. Never think to get fresh bread there...

Jodi said...

This looks amazing! I think that I will have to add this to my meal plan for next week.

Anonymous said...

Oh my yummy goodness! My parents are visiting next week so we'll be having this on one of my hubby's work nights (he's allergic to poultry, poor guy)!

Kerrie said...

I love Caesar salad so this sounds divine.

Would a good home made aioli be a good substitute for the dressing..?? Am a bit of a purist as far as food goes, make everything from scratch myself as much as humanly possible.

I also think I'd omit the SDT's but substitute slices of hard boiled egg as per my favourite Caesar recipe.

Just yum.a

Sdlgillikin said...

I'm going to make this for dinner tonight! It looks SO delicious. Just a suggestion, you could put your recipes under tutorials too for easy finding!