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Prep time
10 minutes
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Cook time
40 minutes
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Serves
4
Author Notes
The classic club sandwich has six key components: lightly browned toast, sliced turkey or chicken, crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, and a generous swoop of mayonnaise. Seven if you count the frilly toothpicks that hold each sandwich quarter together. The club is serious sandwich royalty and a staple everywhere from your favorite diner to the room service menu at New York’s Plaza Hotel.
Thinking about juicy chicken, crisp lettuce, crunchy toasted bread, and mayonnaise reminds me of another favorite: the chicken Caesar salad. Could these two, particularly perfect entrees be combined? The answer, happily, is a resounding yes.
First, in a nod to the salad, I swapped out the sandwich’s usual mayo for a quick Caesar dressing with plenty of grated Parmesan. (Caesar dressing starts with mayonnaise, either purchased or homemade.) Some of the dressing is slathered on the toast slices, while the remainder is tossed with crisp romaine lettuce.
Second, while there is a good-sized place in my heart for sliced deli turkey, sometimes only a warm, juicy seared chicken breast will do. For this hearty and definitely dinner-worthy sandwich, Perdue® Perfect Portions® Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts were just the thing. After the bacon is crisped in a skillet, these well-seasoned chicken breasts are sauteed to golden brown, juicy perfection. The sliced chicken is layered on toast with ripe tomatoes, crispy bacon, Caesar dressing, lettuce, and extra Parmesan.
The Caesar dressing, bacon, and chicken can all be prepared up to 2 days in advance, making this delicious sandwich even easier to whip up on a busy night. —Anna Painter
Test Kitchen Notes
This recipe is presented in partnership with Perdue® Perfect Portions®. —Food52
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Ingredients
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2/3 cup
mayonnaise
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1 tablespoon
fresh lemon juice
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1 tablespoon
water
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1 teaspoon
Dijon mustard
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1/2 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
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1/4 teaspoon
garlic powder
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Kosher salt
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Freshly ground black pepper
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1/4 cup
grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
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8 pieces
thinly sliced bacon
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4
Perdue® Perfect Portions® Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
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1
Romaine heart
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1
large tomato
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12
slices white sandwich bread
Directions
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Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, water, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the Parmesan. Refrigerate until step 6.
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In a large skillet, arrange bacon in an even layer. Cook over medium, turning occasionally, until crispy, 12 to13 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Carefully pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the accumulated fat. Return the skillet to the stove top.
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Heat the skillet and remaining bacon fat over medium-high. Transfer chicken to the skillet and cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Let rest for 5 minutes.
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Cut romaine in half crosswise, then separate into leaves. Core and slice the tomato. Toast the bread.Thinly slice the chicken. Break bacon strips in half.
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Transfer the romaine and ¼ cup of the Caesar dressing to a medium bowl and toss to coat.
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Spread 1 tablespoon of dressing on one side of 4 toast slices. Top with lettuce, sliced chicken, tomato, bacon, and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Top each sandwich with a second slice of toast and spread with the remaining dressing. Top with lettuce, chicken, tomato, bacon, and more Parmesan. Top sandwiches with the remaining toast. Press down firmly to pack all the ingredients together. Garnish by piercing cocktail toothpicks into the sandwiches and cutting them in half diagonally. Sprinkle with more Parmesan, if desired.
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