I was chatting with a friend and, between two emails about wet wading gear, I asked her: Adèle, what’s your favorite sandwich? I’d barely had time to finish typing my sentence when the answer was already in the next email, short and sweet: the Chicken / Avocado / Scallion and Cheddar sandwich!
Well, for you, dear Adèle, who’s such a great advisor on all things gear for anglers and other Outdoor-obsessed nutcases, here’s Le Mouching’s revisited take on your favorite sandwich!
You’ll need, for 4 sandwiches:
- 8 boneless chicken thighs (organic, raised with love), about 1kg / 2.2 lbs
- 4 ripe avocados
- 1 bunch of scallions
- 2 lemons
- 4 brioche buns
- 4 slices of cheddar
- Dutch oven + oven + mixing bowl
And a good amount of time! The chicken cooks low and slow — 5 hours… but when you love something, you don’t count the hours!
For the marinade:
– Tomato paste (about 50g / 1.75 oz)
– Soy sauce (2 tbsp)
– Worcestershire sauce (2 tbsp)
– Honey or maple syrup (2 tbsp)
– Crushed dried chili flakes (a generous pinch)
– Paprika, 2 tbsp (if you don’t have chili flakes, hot paprika works too)
– Olive oil
– Two garlic cloves
– Two shallots
– One bouillon cube
– 10cl / about ⅓ cup water
Start by making your marinade:
Peel and finely mince the shallots, and do the same with the garlic. In a mixing bowl, add: tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, shallot, paprika, honey or maple syrup, and a bit of olive oil. Add the bouillon cube and the 10cl / ⅓ cup of water.
Mix well with a fork until smooth and well combined, and add a bit of pepper to taste. (always taste as you go to adjust if needed)
The Chicken:
Take your chicken pieces and dip them into the marinade in the mixing bowl, making sure they’re well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least two hours…
This is the perfect moment to put on a Le Mouching mixtape to pass the time, or loop Malik Djoudi on repeat: Viens, on prend le temps…
After at least two hours (I left mine overnight), take your chicken out and let it come back to room temperature… (it’s a long recipe, you were warned!) After about an hour, preheat your oven to 125°C / 260°F. While it’s preheating, add some oil to your Dutch oven and sear the chicken pieces on each side! Then add the rest of the marinade.
Once your oven is hot, put in your Dutch oven with the marinated chicken and all the sauce… and you’re off for 5 hours! Your kitchen turns into a dancefloor, and that’s exactly how we like it!
After the five hours… take your Dutch oven out of the oven, separate the pieces from the marinade, and shred the chicken: take a fork in each hand and pull the meat apart into juicy shreds… the bones will come right off on their own — don’t use the skin! Set the sauce aside, keep the meat separate, and let it cool.
As for your sauce, you can reduce it down and it’ll be delicious mixed back into your chicken. Taste it and adjust if needed.
Now you can move on to putting the sandwich together.
Peel the avocados, add some lemon juice to keep them from browning, along with salt and chili flakes, and mash them with a fork, like you’re making guacamole.
Thinly slice your scallions.
In a pan over low heat, add a bit of butter and toast the cut side of your buns, turning them with your hand (do them 2 at a time, or 1 at a time)… be careful not to burn them, they should just turn golden!
Once everything’s ready, it’s time to build the sandwich!
On the bottom of the bun, spread the mashed avocado, add your chicken with its reduced marinade, sprinkle with your thinly sliced scallions, and finally the cheddar.
Close it up, and there you have it — the sandwich of your dreams!
Go ahead, wrap it in parchment paper, tuck it in your fishing bag, and head out to the river!
Thanks again to Adèle for giving us the idea for this bomb of a sandwich!