Harry’s Bar Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients for 6 sandwiches:
- 12 thin slices homemade-style unsweetened white bread, largest available slices (NB: Try Pepperidge or Arnold’s Bakery)
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 celery rib, cut into chunks
- 1 small onion, halved
- 1 carrot, trimmed and cut into chunks
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt
- 2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts, split and trimmed
- 3/4 cup homemade mayonaise
- 1/2 head romaine lettuce, coarsely shredded
- Worcestershire sauce
Preparation:
To make a really good chicken sandwich you must use freshly cooked chicken. If you want to use leftover chicken, you will need about 3 cups for 6 sandwiches.
Poach the chicken: Put the stock, celery, onion, carrot, bay leaf, and some salt in a large saucepan. Heat to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the chicken breasts, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes on each side. Remove the pan from the heat and let the chicken cool in the broth for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and cut it into julienne strips.
Strain the double-rich chicken stock and save it to use in a soup or sauce.
Assemble the sandwiches: Spread some mayonnaise generously over one side of each slice of bread. Mound half the lettuce on half the bread slices, leaving a 1-inch margin of bread. Mound the chicken on top of the lettuce and season with salt and a little Worcestershire sauce. Cover with the remaining lettuce, then another slice of bread. Press firmly on the edges to seal the sandwiches. Trim the crusts if you wish. When you cut the sandwiches in half, they will have the characteristic Harry’s Bar shape shown in the photograph. Serve immediately.
Wine pairing:
Italian: Tocai, Volpe Pasini; American: Chardonnay, Colbertson
From: Harry Cipriani
The Harry’s Bar Cookbook
1991, New York, Bantam Books
Used with permission