Caesar Club Sandwich

I am a huge fan of Ina Garten.  I can relate to her.  She lives on Long Island and is not a professional chef.  I find her recipes easy and the ingredients are very accessible.  I made this sandwich for a Garden Party and it was a huge hit.  I prepared the ingredients a day in advance and then assembled the sandwiches right before serving.  This allowed me to enjoy my guest and at the same time to give them a freshly prepared, delicious sandwich.  I substituted out Ina's arugula for spinach and I also made a paste of the sun dried tomatoes, instead of whole ones.  I find sun dried tomatoes to be chewy, so this way you get the flavor with a smooth texture.  You have to try this one.

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 fresh spinach, washed and spun dry

12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil

2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved

Here's how:

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. If you are making this the day before, just heat up the chicken in the microwave before assembling.

Chicken oiled, salted and peppered.  Ready for the oven.

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.  You can use bacon if you cannot find pancetta.

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced.

Parsley and garlic going in.

After processing

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.)

Mayo on the left, anchovy paste on the right.

Dressing done.

Clean out the bowl and add the sun dried tomatoes and oil.  Process until you get a smooth paste.

This is what the tomatoes look like after going into the food processor.

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 top side of the bread with the Caesar dressing.


Spread the bottom side with the sun dried tomatoes.


Place half the spinach on the bottom piece of bread and then layer the sliced chicken, rest of the spinach, and the shaved Parmesan


Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut crosswise. I cut this into 8 pieces but you can go as large as thirds.

Serve at room temperature.