Club Sandwich Salad

Its been a bit quiet here the last few days as we have been on holiday relaxing. But back home now, with a lovely long sunny day off stretching out in front of us, so am looking forward to some good food.

I love club sandwiches - and that was my plan. Chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato with lashings of mayonnaise in between slices of toasted bread. However, The Bloke wanted a salad. Easy enough. Club Sandwich Salad it is. Same ingredients, made into a large salad with loads of flavour.

In this recipe I have quoted streaky bacon, but I used speck which is a sort of prosciutto. It can be quite difficult to buy in some places, but I buy it regularly in Borough Market in London. Streaky bacon works just as well, so have whichever you like.

Ingredients:            (serves 2)

1/4 ciabatta loaf, cubed
a little oil
2 chicken breasts, skin removed
8 rashers streaky bacon or speck
2/3 little gem lettuces, sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing:
1 tsp. dijon mustard
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
pinch sugar

Method:

Set the oven to 180 C. Toss the bread cubes in a little oil and season with salt & pepper. Pop in the hot oven for about 5 minutes, until the croutons are crisp. Set to one side.

Put the chicken breasts in between two pieces of cling film. Hit the fattest part firmly with a rolling pin or similar, until the chicken is flattened and of the same thickness. Remove the cling film and put the chicken onto a plate. Drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. In a pan, fry the chicken both sides for about 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Cover in foil and leave to rest.

Grill the streaky bacon or speck, dabbing the fat off as you grill, to make crispy strips. Make the dressing by whisking together ingredients listed above.

To assemble. In a large bowl toss the lettuce, onion and cherry tomatoes. Break the bacon into pieces and add to the salad, along with the croutons. Add the dressing and mix well. Slice the chicken into strips and place on the top of the salad and serve! Lovely.

 

 

Note: I used speck instead of bacon as I am a big fan losing as much fat as I can from a meal. Speck grills quickly and crisps up beautifully with less fat (see below).