This week’s Barefoot Bloggers challenge comes courtesy of Karen of Shortbread. I was pretty indifferent when I saw the pick: Caesar Club Sandwich. I mean I love Caesar salads, but chicken? No bueno. And sandwiches can go either way.
All I have to say is HOLY GEEZ! This sandwich is AMAZING. Seriously. I’m pretty sure I could eat these every week.
I bought a fresh ciabatta from ACE Bakery as the base for my sandwich which was a great idea. The making of the sandwich wasn’t time consuming but I had SO many things to wash up after. There wasn’t enough room in my kitchen for all the cutting boards, sheet pans and equipment that I used. But that’s okay, the results were worth it.
I loved that this was a twist on a traditional club sandwich. I loved the Caesar dressing. I loved the pancetta. I loved the parmesan. I loved the dressing! I omitted the sun-dried tomatoes because I’m not the biggest fan of them to begin with and they were more expensive than I was willing to pay. I didn’t miss them one bit. The sandwich was kind of like the best Caesar salad you ever had on bread.
I don’t have any deep musings on this recipe other than to say that Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa made another hit.
CAESAR CLUB SANDWICH
Ingredients
* 2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
* Good olive oil
* Kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
* 1 large garlic clove, chopped
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
* 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
* 1 large ciabatta bread
* 2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
* 12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
* 2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan 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 another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.
Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing. (Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.)
Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side 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 thirds crosswise. Serve at room temperature.
(Recipe via Food Network)
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Your sandwiches look divine! I made these into a Caesar salad instead of going the sandwich route, but I might have to go back and try them as sandwiches too one day.
I thought this sandwich was just terrific, too. I’m glad you were pleasantly surprised by how good it was!
What a coincidence! I actually just made this sandwich the other night, too, along with the broccolini in balsamic vinaigrette and mustard roasted potatoes from Barefoot at Home. Such a good recipe! I also left out the sundried tomatoes and I didn’t miss them at all. One other change I made was that I used thick sliced, applewood smoked bacon instead of pancetta (Wegman’s was sold out) and I think it might have made it even better.
[…] [Caesar Club Sandwich] takes slices of toasted ciabatta bread, brushes them with a zesty homemade Caesar dressing and […]
[…] [Caesar Club Sandwich] takes slices of toasted ciabatta bread, brushes them with a zesty homemade Caesar dressing and […]
[…] [Caesar Club Sandwich] takes slices of toasted ciabatta bread, brushes them with a zesty homemade Caesar dressing and […]