Curried Chicken Salad With Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
Eric Asimov
Yield 4 sandwiches/ Time 45 minutes
Eric Asimov brought this recipe to The Times in 1998, part of a round-up of some of the specialty sandwich shops cropping up in Manhattan at the time. “Sandwiches are as American as Dagwood Bumstead,” he wrote, “and outlandishness has always been part of the recipe.” The new combinations he wrote about went well beyond the ham and cheeses, tuna salads and pastrami on ryes of the past. This recipe, adapted from Sandbox, a small chain, elevates the classic chicken salad, with Madras curry powder and slow-roasted tomatoes deepening its savory qualities, and the walnut-raisin bread adding a bit of sweetness and bite.
Featured in: The Hottest Lunch In New York: The Sandwich.
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, whole or halved, with bone
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced onion
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Madras curry
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ cup chicken stock or canned broth
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
8 slices good-quality raisin-walnut bread
8 arugula leaves
Slow-roasted tomatoes (see recipe)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and place on a baking sheet. Roast until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a small saute pan over medium-low heat, heat the oil and then add the celery, onion and ginger. Saute, stirring, until onions are softened and transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and turmeric, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove chicken from bone, and cut into thin strips. Add the chicken strips and stock to pan, and saute until the liquid has evaporated.
Let chicken cool, then place in a mixing bowl and add mayonnaise and yogurt.
To assemble sandwiches: Place a slice of bread on each of 4 plates. Top each slice with 2 arugula leaves, an even layer of curried chicken and 2 roasted tomato halves. Cover with a slice of bread, and cut in half. Serve immediately.
CHEESY QUESADILLA
METHOD Layer on soft tortilla covering allover w/ thin-slice cured ham.
On 1/2, sprinkle pickled jalapeno slices, grated cheddar, fine-chp scallion. Scatter w/ coriander leaves.
Carefully fold plain half over cheese. Lift carefully; brush each side with ol/oil.
Grill on hot ridged griddle min per side. W/ wide fine spatula, plate; cut 3 triangles.
SERVE w/ salsa.