The Sandwich That Wins The Race

My Racing Chicken Sandwiches

This dish began, several years ago while we had a team of people working for us at the spring racing carnival. Since I always like to keep the team well fed, I was looking for a snack that was substantial to be part of a proper luncheon, yet small enough to be held in one hand to eat, assuming the other hand carries a glass of champagne. I couldn't go past the finger sandwich for it's ease and neatness, and chicken is the classic filling.
So after a little bit of experimentation The Racing Chicken Sandwich was born.(or is that hatched?)
This mixture can be whipped up in just a few minutes, and I discovered, can be frozen to be used another day. So I have taken to making batches in advance so that on the day they're required I just spread it on the bread and slice them into fingers. And they are really popular! So much so, I decided it was time to publish the recipe for those who've been seeking it.

If you've read my other recipes you might notice that I usually don't use pre-prepared ingredients. I make an exception with this, using a roasted chicken from a store and off the shelf mayonnaise.

If you would prefer to roast your own chicken please don't let me stop you. I just decided that for the time and effort that takes, it doesn't really improve this recipe significantly enough. The same applies or the mayonnaise. Having said that, I do have access to a popular brand of good quality free range roasted chicken from my local store, and I use a very good quality brand of Italian whole egg mayonnaise. So don't skimp on the quality of the ingredients and the result will be great.

INGREDIENTS

1 whole roasted chicken

2 table spoons whole egg mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

3tsp Dijon mustard

Squeeze lemon juice to taste

Grind of pepper to taste

chopped rocket leaves

1 large loaf of  soft white bread
Variation as desired: Add herbs like chive, thyme, parsley, finely chopped.

Strip all of the meat from your chicken, discarding any fatty parts. A wobbly lump of chicken fat is not what the elegant lady wants to find in her racing chicken finger. I like to leave some (not all) of the skin on and choose the less fatty parts like the skin on the breast. Chop the meat up into a dice of about 1cm, and add to mixing bowl.

Add the other ingredients, except for the rocket and mix well with a fork. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. I find that bought barbecued chickens are well seasoned which negates the need to add salt.

The bread I use is a readily available one which is allegedly a 'sour dough', (a claim I strongly doubt) but happens to have slices which are better quality than the usual square slices available. The slices are about twice the usual size also, which is handy for my purposes. I tend not to butter the bread as I don't feel it adds any extra flavour to this sandwich, but add it if you so desire.

Add the chicken mixture to the bread about 1.5 cm thick, avoiding the last few millimetres near the crust borders. Sprinkle with chopped rocket leaves. Add the second slice of bread. I usually make 3 of these and stack them for cutting. More than 3 becomes too awkward.

With an electric knife,remove the crusts from the sides of the stack. (if you don't have an electric knife then only slice one sandwich at a time) Then slice the bread in halves,then quarters in  the same direction to get 4 fingers. lift each stack of fingers and place on a serving platter sideways showing the filling from above.

These sandwiches are an easy snack which can be presented at anytime. Recently I made these for my royal wedding afternoon tea with friends. I have made them to feed the parents at a kids birthday party, morning tea with girlfriends or for a 'bring-a-plate' request at any function. The mix takes no time to prepare, can be frozen and thawed and is so yummy that it will become a popular addition to your party menus.

What is your staple 'snack for a crowd' dish?