Chicken & Bacon Caesar Sandwich With Rosemary Fries inspired by The Last of Us (S01E02)

By Gousto

The Last of Us, Marlene savours her chicken sandwich. (S01E02, 13 mins 21 seconds)

Don’t wait till the end of the world to dig into this one. With all the elements of a classic caesar, this really is a sandwich to die for. You’ll pack your ciabatta bun with marinated chicken, crispy bacon and a knock-out caesar dressing. Serve with rosemary fries and cheesy lettuce wedges and you’re sorted.

Ingredients

For 2 people [double for 4]

1 tsp dried oregano
30g grated Italian hard cheese
1 garlic clove
2 ciabattas
1 gem lettuce
3 white potatoes
1 tomato
1 lemon
320g British skin on chicken thighs
2 tsp dried basil
135g Jolly Good smoked streaky bacon
50ml mayonnaise
5g rosemary

You’ll also need

Olive oil, pepper, salt

Cooking instructions 35 mins

For 2 people [double for 4]

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 220°C / 200°C (fan) / gas 7, then take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air. Strip the rosemary leaves off their stems (discard the stems) and chop finely. Cut the potatoes (skins on) into fries, then add them to a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil, half the chopped rosemary and a pinch of salt.

Step 2

Put the tray in the oven for 25-30 min or until golden and cooked through, then heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen paper and season with the remaining chopped rosemary and a pinch of salt. Once hot, add the rosemary chicken, skin-side down and cook for 10 min or until the skins have browned and crisped up.

Step 3

Add the browned rosemary chicken to a tin foil-lined tray (reserve the pan!) with the dried oregano, dried basil, lemon zest, a drizzle of olive oil and a grind of pepper. Put the tray in the oven for 17-18 min or until the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!). Zest 1/2 [1] lemon.

Tip: Try to grate lightly with a micro-plane or sharp box grater and avoid grating the white pith, as this is very bitter.

Step 4

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the smoked streaky bacon and cook for 2-3 min on each side or until golden and crisp then transfer to kitchen paper – this is your crispy bacon.

Step 5

Peel and grate (don’t chop!) the garlic. Roll the lemon[s] with your hand on a hard surface (to release more juice) and cut in half. Add half the grated Italian hard cheese (save the rest for later!) to a bowl along with the mayo, the juice of 1/2 [1] lemon, the grated garlic and a grind of black pepper – this is your Caesar dressing.

Step 6

Slice the tomato[es]. Wash the gem lettuce, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Separate 2 [4] outer leaves of the gem lettuce. Cut the remaining gem lettuce into quarters, lengthways. Put the ciabattas in the oven for 5 min or until they’re warm and crusty, then carefully slice them in half before serving.

Step 7

Once the chicken is cooked (no pink meat!), transfer it to a clean board and pull it apart, using two forks – this technique is known as ‘pulling’. Return the shredded chicken to the pan along with the juice of the remaining lemon and give everything a good mix up – this is your Caesar chicken.

To build, fill each warmed ciabatta with some Caesar dressing, Caesar chicken, crispy bacon, sliced tomato and outer lettuce leaves – these are your chicken & bacon Caesar sandwiches. Serve the lettuce quarters with a drizzle of Caesar dressing and sprinkle over the remaining grated Italian cheese Serve the rosemary fries to the side and enjoy!

Nutritional and allergen information

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