At the risk of becoming known as the second coming of Guy Fieri, I wanted to share my latest Crazy Day meal. This is on the heels of the fried BLT and honestly, I know I should space out these kinds of posts lest I get a bad rap for artery-clogging food, but I recently made a chicken sandwich worth sharing.
One of my friends reached out to me in a panic asking “what do you do on the nights when you have no time. I mean zero. You get back from the kids’ classes and it’s dinner time right away.”
My answer to that question, after I suggest “Progresso?” is this: a rotisserie chicken sandwich with arugula, avocado, and lime. “That’s dinner”? you say. Yes, it is, it’s hearty, satisfying, is made from real ingredients, and takes all of 5 minutes to put together. And it’s not Progresso. Or boxed mac ‘n cheese. It’s perfect on those days when you (and your kids) are crying out for fast food and you don’t want to give in.
The other great thing about this sandwich is that it satisfies my need for big flavors, but the kids like it as well. Even if they won’t eat it all together as one sandwich, deconstructed it’s really just a big slab of bread, some chunks of avocado, chicken, greens…Kind of their ideal meal.
The important thing about this recipe is that you use chicken with the skin on. Leg meat. Often the skin is pulled off and thrown to the side, which in my view is a big mistake. The skin and the leg meat are the best-tasting parts of the bird. See that missing leg on my chicken? That’s what happens when I walk through the door with a fresh rotisserie chicken – especially those from Forager’s Market in Chelsea. As Mario Batali once said, the breast meat is what you should feed to the dogs, and I kind of agree (but of course, suit your taste).
Although it’s a quick meal, this particular chicken sandwich depends on fresh ingredients. Trust me, there is a huge difference between a fresh loaf of bread, a juicy chicken, and bright green arugula (not the wilted yellow stuff that you’re waiting to salvage from the cooler—throw that stuff AWAY. NOW. It has no good use anymore, except maybe as a side dish for the breast meat you’re feeding to the dog.)
