Chicken Sandwich in Puff Pastry

When I made the ham and turkey in puff pastry, I was thinking it was a nice alternative it was to a regular sandwich. Then later in the week I saw Giada make a napolean using puff pastry and I knew I wasn't the only one with the idea. Giada made hers with three layers and some avocado and peppered mayo. I don't eat much avocado (it makes me sick, literally) so I wanted to find an alternative. Last week, Mark Bittman posted a video with Jamie Oliver making a really simple chicken breast. He didn't even use a recipe. It was just chicken, season, herbs, lemon zest, Parmesan, prosciutto...pound, pound, pound, cook and done. You can see the video here. I thought it would be nice to do that chicken recipe in the puff pastry sandwich, plus it was fun to pound and get out some aggression!! This was such an easy and fast chicken recipe. I loved the freshness from the lemon and parsley and you really can't go wrong with salty prosciutto and Parmesan. My "corner store" only had puff pastry rounds so I just rolled them out a bit to get to sandwich size. This was a really easy sandwich to put together and it all tasted wonderful. Can you believe it is only Tuesday? The long weekend cannot come fast enough!!



Chicken Sandwich in Puff Pastry
(Inspired by Giada De Laurentiis and chicken recipe from Jamie Oliver)

2 rounds of puff pastry
1 chicken breast
Kosher salt
Flat leaf parsley
Lemon zest
Parmesan cheese
1 slice prosciutto
Olive oil
Baby Spinach

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured board, roll out the puff pastry rounds to desired length and width. Place the rounds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a fork, prick holes all over the puff pastry rounds. Top the rounds with another sheet of parchment paper and then another cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the top cookie sheet and top parchment and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the chicken. Season one side of the chicken with salt. Top with roughly torn parsley, then a layer of lemon zest, and then a layer of freshly shredded Parmesan. Lay a slice of prosciutto over the chicken and top with plastic wrap. Pound the chicken until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

Heat some olive oil in a small pan and add the chicken, prosciutto side down. Season the exposed side with salt and cook 4-5 minutes per side until the prosciutto is crispy and the chicken is cooked through.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread a thin layer of spinach over the bottom of the puff pastry. Add the sliced chicken and top with the second sheet of puff pastry.