Greek Lemon Chicken Sandwich

I have found my absolute favorite sandwich, in New York City.  When I was home in my native Manhattan last week, I treated myself to a really chic chic Greek Lemon Chicken sandwich, from an expensive upscale deli.  I soooo don’t regret the $15 purchase.  It was one of the loveliest, tastiest, well proportioned sandwiches I’ve had in a long time.

Gastronomie 491 ( http://www.gastronomie491.com ) on 84^th Street and Columbus Avenue is simply divine.  Its beautiful and flawless modern French interior pleases the senses upon entry.  The friendly and gracious staff welcomed and pampered me.  I needed a quick and filling lunch so I went straight for the sandwich menu (the case of prepared entrees and salads were also spectacular). I chose the Athens – lemon chicken breast, feta cheese (my fave), lettuce, tomato and tzatziki dressing on a thin, crisp ciabatta roll.  Another tempting choice was the Parma - prosciutto di parma, shaved grana padano, arugula, extra virgin olive oil, also on a ciabatta roll. My sandwich came with an ice cold mixed green salad and I indulged in potato chips made with extra virgin olive oil and pink Himalayan salt.  All washed down by sparkling water.  Yummmmmmm!

I wanted to create this sandwich at home.  How could I go without this sandwich until my next trip to New York? I slightly tweeked this version of a Greek lemon chicken sandwich. I took away the bibb lettuce and substituted arugula. I marinated the chicken in an herb mixture and kept the creamy tzatziki (they have a great prepared version of this yogurt sauce at Trader Joe’s).

My one last change (I didn’t want to be a complete copy cat) was using a Telera roll.  These are readily available in San Diego due to their Mexican origin.  It’s basically a French style bun, nice and thin, with a light and fluffy interior (a thin ciabatta or Kaiser roll would work as well).

Greek Lemon Chicken Sandwich

Recipe by Liz Hughes

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 7 to 8 minutes
Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 2 - 6 ounce boneless chicken breasts (tenders removed)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of mixed fresh herbs (oregano, cilantro, rosemary, time, etc)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• cracked black pepper to taste
• 4 Telera rolls or other french style sandwich rolls
• 6 ounces feta cheese
• 4 cups baby arugula leaves
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• prepared tzatziki to spread on rolls

Cooking Directions

1. Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise, creating two long strips. One at a time, place each breast strip, smooth side down, between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound, using a meat mallet or rolling pin, to an even 1/4-inck thickness. Line up chicken breasts on plate and drizzle both sides with the lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle on herbs, salt and pepper and pat into the meat with your fingertips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes while you prepare the grill.
2. Brush the cooking grates clean.
3. Grill the chicken strips over medium heat (350F to 450F), with the lid closed as much as possible, until the meat is firm to the touch and opaque all the way to the center, 4 to 5 minutes, turning once. During the last minute of grilling, place rolls cut side down on the grill. Remove chicken and roles from the grill.
4. Place one chicken filet on each bun. Sprinkle evenly with feta cheese. Place the top roll back on the sandwich so that the feta starts to melt. Let sit for two minutes.
5. Take off the top roll and spread with tzatziki. Layer sandwich with arugula first and then tomatoes. Add top bun and enjoy.