Hot Chicken Sandwich

 

After our Easter Supper I ended up with some leftover roast chicken that needed using up.  We were supposed to have our dinner on Saturday, but because of my trip to emergency we had it on Sunday. I made a really simple meal.  I spatchcocked a chicken and rubbed it with olive oil and a generous amount of Kinder's Seasoning, Buttery Garlic and Herb.

That stuff is so good. I use it on a lot of things. We bought ours at the Cambridge Convenience store where they carry a lot of Costco products.

So we had that roast chicken, with some scalloped potatoes, carrots, beans, stuffing, biscuits and some relishes on the side.  Ice Cream for dessert. I kept it really simple and did not overdo it this year. Happy to say there was nothing leftover except for some chicken breast meat. It was a nice sized chicken. It fed the four of us and I also sent a meal next door to my neighbor Sheila. I was surprised to have leftovers.

 

Today I used some of the leftovers to make myself a hot chicken sandwich. Oh, how very much I love bread and gravy!  I would be quite happy with a meal of bread and gravy and nothing else at all.  This is the reason I really love hot sandwiches such as this one!  Is the bread and gravy!  

If you don't like soggy gravy-soaked bread, then this is not for you!

This causes me all sorts of pleasure.  The soft bread, the gravy, the sliced chicken. mmm mmm I am all over this.  These kinds of hot sandwiches are very popular in the mom-and-pop style of restaurants here in Canada.  And for good reason!  They are delicious and help a small amount of meat to go a long way!

You can use leftover roast chicken, a rotisserie chicken or even deli sliced roast chicken for these sandwiches.  I like the leftover roast chicken the best.  Just saying  . . . 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A HOT CHICKEN SANDWICH

It's simple really.  Simple ingredients put together in the most delicious way possible!

• two slices of a rustic type of white bread
• 4 slices of roast chicken (enough to fill the sandwich)
• 1 cup (240ml) of chicken gravy (use leftover, make some fresh, or use a packet)

 

You could use a sourdough for this, but bear in mind it will soak up twice as much gravy so you will need to make more.  

I used leftover roast chicken. I cut mine from the breast about 1/3 of an inch in thickness. At the end of the day, you can use as much meat as you like, as thinly cut as you like. Just bear in mind that the gravy is what will be heating it up.

You can use leftover gravy heated up, or you can make your own fresh gravy from scratch, get it from a can (heated), or use a dry packet mix.  The packet mixes can be quite salty however so do bear that in mind.

 

HOW TO MAKE A HOT CHICKEN SANDWICH

These really aren't hard to make and come together very quickly.  All you really have to do is slice the meat and heat the gravy and you are set to go!

Make your gravy or heat up the leftover gravy. (You can heat your sliced chicken in this if you wish, but it's not totally necessary.) You want your gravy to be boiling hot.

Lay one slice of your bread on a plate. Ladle 1/4 of the gravy on top of the bread.

 

Top with the sliced chicken. Ladle 1/2 of the remaining hot gravy over the chicken.

Place the final slice of bread on top of the chicken and gravy. Ladle the remaining gravy over top of everything.  Serve immediately.

 

HINTS, TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

Quick and easy to make here are a few hints and tips to ensure hot sandwich success!

1. Make sure your gravy is really hot.  Boiling actually.  This will help to make sure your sandwich is really hot when served and it will heat through the chicken.

2. Don't use too dry a type of bread if possible. The dryer the bread it will soak up more gravy, so you will therefore need more gravy.  You want a sturdy bread, however.  We like these with white bread and a good homestyle white works great!

3. Don't think you have to use chicken only in these hot sandwiches.  This concept works for all kinds of leftover meats. Beef, pork, turkey.  All work well. I confess I have never made with lamb so cannot speak to how that would taste.

4.  Add a layer of stuffing if you wish for additional flavor, and in that case, possibly a few dabs of cranberry sauce.  Stuffing also goes well with roast pork and turkey as you probably know.

5. If using roast beef why not add a dab of horseradish sauce?  Yummy!

6. Its great if you have lots of leftover gravy, but don't worry if you don't. I have a recipe here for perfect gravy that you can make from scratch using stock. You can also use canned gravy, or packaged gravy mixes. Do bear in mind however that those mixes usually contain a lot of salt.

 

These hot sandwiches are a really delicious way to use up leftover cooked chicken.  I enjoyed this along with some roasted halved baby new potatoes and a mix of steamed carrots and podded broad beans.

I was really excited to see the podded broad beans in the freezer section of our local Soby's store. They were in the Indian food section. I think they must be a popular addition to the Indian diet. I like them just plain as they are with a bit of butter, salt and pepper! They are also great thawed out and used as is in salads much like you would use thawed frozen peas!

 

Not convinced?  Perhaps you might like these other tasty ways to use up your leftover cooked chicken?

 

SPAGHETTI WITH ROASTED CHICKEN AND SHREDDED SPROUTS - Leftover roast chicken tossed together with buttery soft shredded Brussels sprouts, whole wheat spaghetti, garlic and cheese.  Simple to make and delicious.

CRUSTY CHICKEN POT PIE BUNS - Leftover cooked chicken and vegetables in a tasty, creamy sauce. Stuffed into a hollowed out crusty roll and topped with stuffing.  These are then baked until the filling is hot and bubbling and heated through. No faffing about with rolling out pastry.  These are quite simply a delicious way to use up what's in the refrigerator. If you have leftover gravy, so much the better!

Yield: 1 serving

Author: Marie Rayner

Hot Chicken Sandwich

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min

The quantities here are for one serving. You can very easily multiply this to make as many hot sandwiches as you like. This is incredibly tasty. No leftover chicken? Use deli sliced chicken. This will still be delicious!

Ingredients

For one serving:

• two slices of a rustic type of white bread
• 4 slices of roast chicken (enough to fill the sandwich)
• 1 cup (240ml) of chicken gravy (use leftover, make some fresh, or use a packet)

Instructions

1. Make your gravy or heat up the leftover gravy. (You can heat your sliced chicken in this if you wish, but it's not totally necessary.) You want your gravy to be boiling hot.
2. Lay one slice of your bread on a plate. Ladle 1/4 of the gravy on top of the bread.
3. Top with the sliced chicken. Ladle 1/2 of the remaining hot gravy over the chicken.
4. Place the final slice of bread on top of the chicken and gravy. Ladle the remaining gravy over top of everything.
5. Serve immediately.

Notes

You can also shred rotisserie chicken to make these. If you want to you can add things like shredded cheese or a layer of hot stuffing to the base. In my opinion, however, it doesn't get much better than this basic version.

Serve with hot chips, oven wedges, heated leftover roast potatoes, and a vegetable on the side.

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