Your Lincoln Log set; that summer at your grandparents you spent honing your Jenga skills; 6th period Physics…..they have all led up to today.

Today, you are going to stack this sandwich.

Today, you are going to stack this sandwich.

This is not a sandwich for tea. Nor is it one you throw together while your coffeepot is sputtering, there’s a pillow crease across your face, and your 6-year-old dictator is standing there with an empty lunch box.

Sliced Sourdough

This sandwich is a Ringling Bros. balancing act of the best and brightest flavors from that perfect little hole-in-the-wall Italian joint with the red and white checkered tablecloths and chianti bottle candle holders.

Chicken and Salami

Each ingredient, from the juicy peppered chicken up to the sweet roasted red pepper…

Roasted Red Pepper

……from the mellow hard-boiled egg down to the salty pickle…..

Egg and Pickle

…..even the tangy cream cheese spread thickly on the toasted sourdough has been selected with ponderous thought and care. And the proper construction of this beast has as much to do with the harmony of textures and tastes as with the overall structural integrity.

together

Using your two hands and all five of your senses – actually, I am not sure how your hearing is engaged….perhaps if you put on that song about the moon and the big pizza pie – regardless – enjoy this sandwich slowly; after the fashion of those sage Romans and Venetians who know that great recipes and meals should be given time to savor. Take more than a moment (lord knows you’ve earned it) to sit back and note how all of the different components, derived from that well-loved antipasti dish, work together to create not only a colossus in size, but in experience as well.

And please don’t forget the vino.

Chicken Antipasti Sandwich

Author: Pickled Capers Prep time:  5 mins Cook time:  40 mins Total time:  45 mins Serves: 2  

Ingredients

  • Ingredients:
  • 4 Large Slices of Sourdough (or other crusty bread), toasted
  • 2 Medium Chicken Breasts
  • 2-3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Poultry seasoning (I like a really peppery one such as Rudy’s, but you can use your personal favorite)
  • Roasted Red Pepper (either halves or strips will work)
  • Sliced Salami (I like a spicy one for this recipe)
  • 1-2 hardboiled eggs, cooled and sliced
  • 1 Ripe Tomato, sliced
  • 4 Dill Pickle slices, (cold and crisp are the best)
  • 4-5 T Cream Cheese, softened

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with the olive oil and then season each side generously with poultry seasoning.
  3. Place on a foil-lined, greased sheetpan with edges.
  4. Roast chicken for 20-30 min (depends largely on thickness of chicken) or until internal temp is 163. Slice chicken and set aside.
  5. Spread cream cheese thickly on toast.
  6. Layer sandwich accordingly from bottom to top: Pickles…tomato…chicken…salami…egg…red pepper
  7. Cut sandwich in half and serve immediately.