That whole expression about making lemonade with the lemons life gives you has always baffled me a bit. Why wouldn't you make a vinaigrette? Or perhaps chop them into wedges to spritz onto that crispy pan-seared halibut life also dropped on you? Or squirt some into your pan sauces to brighten them up just before serving? There are a whole lot of things I'd rather make with my life's lemons than lemonade.
But when life gives you massive amounts of excess chicken Parm, or when life, perhaps, gives you a half dozen friends who want to eat chicken Parm without the need for pesky utensils, then there's only one thing to do: Make chicken Parm sandwiches.
How you go about doing that is a matter up for debate. After a week of testing chicken Parmesan recipes before arriving at my final iteration, I had plenty of chicken to experiment with. I've got some opinions on the matter.
First off, the best chicken Parm sandwiches start with the best leftover chicken Parm. The recipe I posted last week, with its buttermilk brine to ensure juicy and flavorful results and unique crusting step is a good place to start. (Not to mention the All-Day Red Sauce that tops it.)
The classic way to form a chicken Parm sandwich is to stuff a single breaded and fried chicken cutlet into a Philly-style hoagie roll and smother it with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. Lightly crisp with a crumb that tends to be softer and lighter than typical Old World breads, the hoagie roll is a great vehicle for trapping steam and sauce, turning everything soft and tender inside.
My chicken, however, has got an extra-crisp crust and I kind of wanted to accentuate that. A sturdier, crustier loaf is what I was after. I settled on a full-sized loaf of ciabatta, which I split down the middle. The ciabatta must be toasted before you start layering in the ingredients, otherwise it stays too tough and chewy, squishing the chicken and sauce out of the sandwich with each bite.
I drizzle it with olive oil and toast it under the broiler.
Afterwards, I paint it with a layer of extra sauce to start the soaking process, then shingle on my cooked chicken cutlets along with the sauce they were cooked under. Finally, a small layer of grated mozzarella finishes it off before it goes under the broiler for another stay, just until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
You can try to eat the sandwich yourself (and if you succeed, I'll send you an autographed plaque), but it's a party-sized sandwich meant for groups, so slice that sucker open and marvel at how juicy and tender the chicken stayed even after an overnight in the fridge. (But not too long or the other kids are gonna beat you to seconds.)
To make the best chicken Parm sandwich, just start with the best chicken Parmesan. Our version uses a buttermilk brine for extra juiciness and flavor. We take the leftovers and pack them into a full-sized loaf of toasted ciabatta, adding some extra sauce and cheese to keep the bread moist before cutting it up into single serving slices.
This is a chicken Parm sandwich so good it's almost worth making the chicken Parm fresh just for the sandwich.
Why this recipe works:
- Our chicken parm comes out extra crisp and juicy so we wanted a sturdier bread to stand up to it than the standard hoagie roll. Ciabatta fits the bill.
- Extra sauce and extra cheese and a bit of time spent under the broiler help the whole sandwich stick together.
Note: You can use our All-Day Red Sauce or our Quick and Easy Red Sauce for this recipe, or a jar of your favorite tomato sauce (we recommend Rao's).
YIELD: Serves 6
ACTIVE TIME: 15 minutes (once you have the leftover chicken parm)
TOTAL TIME: 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 loaf ciabatta, split in half lengthwise
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup red sauce (see note)
- 1 batch chicken Parmesan, fully cooked
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
Adjust broiler rack to 8 inches below the heat source and preheat broiler to high. Place ciabatta cut-side-up on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Place under broiler and cook until well browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer top bun to a large cutting board. Spread bottom bun with extra sauce and top with chicken cutlets, shingling them so they all fit in a single layer covering the bread (cutlets should already have sauce and some cheese on them). Top with more cheese. Return to broiler and cook until cheese is fully melted and starting to bubble and brown. Remove from oven and immediately close sandwich, pressing down firmly to seal. Let rest for 1 minute. Slice into 6 to 8 single-serving pieces and serve.