Author Notes
Having become a big fan of sour-spicy mango-based amba sauce, I wanted to find a use for it. Cold roast chicken sandwiches with amba hit the yum-spot. —creamtea
Test Kitchen Notes
WHO: Creamtea is an authority on Middle Eastern cooking (and has 22 Community Picks under her belt).
WHAT: A very good use for leftover roast chicken (and a pickled mango condiment to put on it, and on everything).
HOW: Spice mangoes (salted and left to sit overnight) with a flurry of Middle Eastern spices, then use it generously on a cold chicken sandwich with lime-cumin mayonnaise.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Any roast chicken will yield some leftovers—and those leftovers want to be in this sandwich, swiped with lime-cumin mayonnaise and piled with the amba, which is tangy and spicy and sweet and salty. The amba would be good on pretty much anything, we think—grain bowls? Fish? We're in. You might want to bump up the lime in the mayonnaise and scale up or down on the level of spice—you could always use more or less cayenne or a different kind of chili—to taste. —The Editors
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
- For the Amba:
-
2
mangoes, peeled and diced
-
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
-
2 tablespoons
safflower oil
-
1 1/2 teaspoons
black mustard seeds
-
1
fresh red (Fresno) chili pepper, seeded and minced
-
3/4 teaspoon
ground fenugreek
-
1 teaspoon
ground cumin
-
1 teaspoon
sumac
-
1/2 teaspoon
cayenne pepper or to taste
-
Juice of 1/2 lime
-
Water as needed (have ready 1 cup)
-
2 tablespoons
(packed) brown sugar
- For the Sandwiches
-
1 pound
leftover roast chicken (weighed before boning), boned and torn into strips
-
8
slices sourdough or other crusty bread
-
4 tablespoons
mayonnaise
-
Soft-leaf lettuce or arugula for garnish
-
1 teaspoon
ground cumin
-
1 teaspoon
lime juice
-
1/2
Vidalia onion, sliced thinly
-
Sliced tomato for garnish
Directions
-
To make the amba condiment, stir together the salt and mangoes in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and chill overnight.
-
The next day, heat a 3-quart heavy saucepan over low-medium heat and add the oil. Stir in the mustard seeds and heat until they sizzle and start to pop, then stir in the hot red pepper. Stir once or twice then add the mango and spices. Stir in the brown sugar, lime juice, and about 1/4 cup of water, bring to a simmer, and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and adding water as needed, until tender and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
-
Stir mayonnaise with lime juice and cumin and spread on each slice of sourdough bread. Layer each half with tomato slices, chicken, a dollop or two of amba, onion slices, and lettuce, and top each sandwich with remaining slice of bread, then serve.
See what other Food52ers are saying.