Ina Garten Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich

This Ina Garten Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich packs well for picnics in the park or at the beach. And that dressing makes a great dip for your veggies!

I love sandwiches. I’ve been making sandwiches most of my life. My brother was my first satisfied customer. He made me nachos, something I still LOVE today, and I made him sandwiches.

Of course, that was in between our fights and when we generally didn’t have anything to do with each other. You know, the usual brother-sister stuff.

I was putting lettuce, bell peppers, salad dressing, everything Subway now does before Subway came to our neck of the woods. Yes, another billion-dollar idea lost. But, I still love making and eating sandwiches.

My latest sandwich obsession? Ina Garten’s Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich.

Why this recipe is so delicious

Caesar salad dressing is such a popular salad topping made even more fabulous when you make it yourself. The salty base of the dressing is anchovy paste, which I have a natural aversion to so I made a substitution.

Instead of anchovy paste, I substituted it with capers for the salty flavor. Add that, the lemon juice, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, garlic and parsley and you have a freakishly delicious and tangy dressing for your sandwich.

The great thing about sandwiches is that you can make it to your liking. You can easily swap out ingredients and substitute with what you have at hand. When you do make substitutions, try to keep the flavor profile the same (like swapping out salty anchovy paste for salty capers).

I made some other substitutions from Ina’s sandwich recipe, mostly because I was too lazy to go back to the store and get the right ingredients! Instead of pancetta, I used bacon. And since we were out of sun-dried tomatoes, I used artichoke hearts.  I didn’t use just arugula, I had a bag of Trader Joe’s Spring Salad Mix that did the trick.

So how did Ina Garten Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich stack up? Wow there was tremendous flavor and zing in every bite. All of my favorite goodies were wrapped up in a delicious crusty bread.

And Ina’s Caesar dressing? So incredibly delicious. I kept a bowl of the dressing on the side so I could keep dunking the sandwich in it, like an au jus bowl for your roast beef French dip. I’ll definitely be making it again!

Ingredients you need

• Chicken breasts: You can use already cooked chicken breast or roast your own boneless or bone in split chicken breast
• Bacon: Ina’s recipe asked for pancetta, but I had bacon – plus it’s more economical!
• Garlic: Since this is going in the salad dressing, you can substitute with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Fresh parsley: Since this is going in the salad dressing, you could substitute with 1 teaspoon dried parsley.
• Capers: Caesar dressing is made with anchovy paste. But because I don’t usually have this ingredient, I used capers instead.
• Dijon mustard: You can use whole grain or regular mustard, too.
• Lemon juice: You use fresh lemons or bottled lemon juice.
• Mayonnaise: This is the base of your caesar dressing. I did not whip up eggs to make homemade mayonnaise but use my favorite jar of store bought instead.
• Ciabatta bread: You can also use a baguette or any other bread that you love.
• Salad greens: Go with spicy arugula or use a spring mix, like I did. You can also keep it simple and use classic romaine lettuce.
• Artichoke hearts: Ina’s recipe asked for sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, which I did not have. So I used what I did have, artichoke hearts packed in oil.
• Parmesan cheese: You can use shaved, shredded or grated parmesan.
• Salt and pepper

Step-by-step directions

1. Place garlic, parsley, anchovy paste (or capers), dijon mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade or in a blender and purée until smooth. Refrigerate the dressing if not using it immediately.

2. Slice and toast your ciabatta bread then spread a generous layer of Caesar dressing to each cut side.

3. Start layering the rest of the ingredients, starting from the bottom: salad greens, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, bacon and chicken.

Recipe tips and FAQs

Got leftover caesar dressing? Serve it with some crudités for a refreshing dip with a veggie platter.

Love Ina’s recipes like I do? Here are some of my favorite Barefoot Contessa recipes:

• Ina Garten Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
• Ina Garten Oatmeal Cookies with Raisin and Pecans
• Ina Garten Baked Shrimp Scampi
• Ina Garten Grilled Shrimp Kabob
• Ina Garten Shrimp Bisque
• Ina Garten Coconut Jam Thumbprint Cookies
• Ina Garten Creme Brulee

If you are enjoying my recipes, I would love for you to sign up for my newsletter (and get my free pomegranate e-cookbook!) or follow me on Instagram or Facebook.

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Yield: serves 4

Ina Garten Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich

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This Ina Garten Chicken Caesar Club Sandwich packs well for picnics in the park or at the beach. And that dressing makes a great dip for your veggies!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 bone-in skin on split chicken breast
• ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 oz thinly sliced pancetta
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 TBS chopped parsley
• 1 ½ teaspoon anchovy paste or 2 TBS capers
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 ½ TBS lemon juice
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 large ciabatta bread
• 2 oz arugula
• 12 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
• 3 oz shaved Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F.
2. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up and rub with ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
3. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through.
4. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.
5. Meanwhile, place pancetta on another sheet pan in a single layer.
6. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp.
7. Set aside to drain on paper towels.
8. Place garlic, parsley, anchovy paste (or capers), dijon mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade or in a blender and purée until smooth.
9. Refrigerate the dressing if not using it immediately.
10. Slice ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom.
11. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5 to 7 minutes. Cool slightly.
12. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing.
13. Place half of the arugula on the bottom of the sliced bread then add sun dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese.
14. Next add the pancetta, sliced chicken and season to taste with remaining salt and pepper.
15. Add remaining arugula and add top slice of ciabatta and cut into 4 servings.

Notes

You can easily swap out different ingredients and still have a great sandwich. Above pictured with bacon (instead of pancetta) and marinated artichoke hearts (instead of sun dried tomatoes). 

This Caesar dressing is great on salads or for a vegetable dip! A great way to serve leftover chicken.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 sandwich
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 530Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 30gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 1198mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 20g

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