Poached chicken mayonnaise sandwich
A filling that behaves in a lunchbox
Doubles easily for two sandwiches from one larger chicken breast. Make the filling the night before if that suits you better.
A chicken sandwich is an easy default meal, but this one is built to survive being made ahead rather than eaten straight away. Roasting dries the meat out and leaves you shredding flakes. A gentle poach leaves it wet enough to pull into soft threads that hold mayonnaise instead of shedding it, and a filling like that stays put in the fridge for a day rather than going watery under the bread. Bind it with mayonnaise and a little smooth mustard and nothing else. Nothing green, nothing crunchy, no raw leaf. Wrap the finished sandwich tightly and it travels well, into a bag or onto a plate by the sofa, whenever appetite arrives.
Ingredients
Contains: Gluten, Milk, Egg, Mustard
- 150 gchicken breast fillet, trimmed of any fat
- 2 tbspmayonnaise
- ½ tspsmooth Dijon mustard
- salt
- 15 gunsalted butter
- 2 slicesoft white bread
Method
Put the chicken breast in a small pan and cover with cold water. Bring it to a bare simmer and poach gently for 12 to 15 minutes, until it is opaque all the way through and the juices run clear when you cut into the thickest part.
Lift the chicken onto a plate and leave it until cool enough to handle, then shred it finely with two forks, pulling away any tough white sinew as you go.
Shred with the grain of the meat rather than across it and the threads come away long and soft instead of breaking into short pieces.
Tip the shredded chicken into a bowl and stir through the mayonnaise, the mustard and a good pinch of salt, until the meat is evenly coated and holds together in soft clumps.
Butter both slices of bread right to the edges. The layer of butter is what stops the bread going soggy where the filling meets it.
Pile the chicken mixture onto one slice, press the second slice on top, and cut into halves or quarters. Wrap tightly in cling film if you are making it ahead, and keep it in the fridge until you need it.
Watch-points
- Leave out salad leaves, cress or any raw vegetable. The filling is chicken and mayonnaise only.
- Poach the chicken until it is fully cooked through, with no pink left and clear juices, before you shred it.
- Cool the chicken quickly, and keep the made-up filling covered in the fridge for no more than a day. If you are on chemotherapy, make it and eat it the same day.
- Leave the crusts on or take them off as you like. Both are on the list, and crustless is kinder to a sore mouth.
Stoma note: White bread is one of the reliable output thickeners, so this is the sandwich to reach for when things have been running fast rather than slow.
Make it more nourishing
- Use 200 g of chicken breast rather than 150, and stir through an extra tablespoon of mayonnaise. It adds protein without more bread.
- Spread a thin layer of cream cheese under the filling, about 20 g a slice.
- Butter both slices generously rather than lightly, for extra calories with no extra volume.
Swaps
- Instead of white bread, use a soft white roll, split, or crustless white bread if the mouth is sore
- nothing about the softness changes, and a roll is easier to hold
- Instead of mayonnaise, use half mayonnaise and half smooth natural yoghurt
- a lighter filling that still binds the chicken