Directions

Building the sandwiches:

A buttered and toasted

4 brioche ‘hamburger’rolls or bulkie or Kaiser rolls

3-4 tablespoons, softened butter

8 slices Swiss cheese, very thinly sliced

8 slices Black Forest or Virginia ham, very thinly sliced

fresh greens garnish: whole or shredded lettuce, baby arugula, sliced fresh tomatoes

prepare the remoulade sauce

In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the Dijon mustard. Mix in the minced shallots and cornichons/pickles. Add the chives, the pickle juice and mix well. Taste for seasoning and add fresh ground black pepper and a pinch or two of kosher salt.

preheat the oven to 350 degree

Prepare the chicken tenderloins:

The sandwiches are easier to eat when made with tenderloins instead of chicken breasts. The pieces are smaller and fit more easily in the roll. And they have more crispy surface areas!

To start, remove the tenderloins from the package and pat dry, if necessary. The pieces of chicken will most likely have a white ‘ribbon’ or tendon running through them. I always remove this tendon. There are lots of YouTube and Tik-Tok videos with visual instructions. But you can also grab one end of the

tendon between the tines of a fork and pull the tendon out while simultaneously pressing down on the tendon. Or watch a video!!

Coating the tenderloins with breadcrumbs:

‘Breading’ is a 3-step process.

First, the chicken pieces are coated in flour and excess flour is patted off.

Next, the chicken pieces are individually dipped into the beaten egg-oil mixture. Use a fork to turn the pieces over and elevate each piece to drain off excess egg.

Finally, drop each piece into the breadcrumbs and pat until completely coated. Turn the pieces over to get a good coating on both sides.

(In short, the flour coating helps the egg-oil mix stick to the chicken. And then the egg-oil mix ensures the breadcrumbs stick to the tenderloin.)

So....

Grab 3 pie plates or cake pans. In one pan, add the panko breadcrumbs. (If the panko is very coarse, crush it between your fingers.)

In the second pan, add the flour along with a pinch of salt.

In the third pan, beat two eggs with 1 tablespoon of oil until completely blended.

Cooking the chicken tenderloin pieces:

Have a sheet pan/cookie sheet at the ready.

Place a sturdy sauté pan on a burner and add 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil. Turn heat to medium and stay put while the oil is heating up-don’t walk away! When oil is ‘shimmering’, carefully lay as many pieces of breaded tenderloin in the pan that will easily fit without touching/crowding. Cook for 2-3 minutes and flip over. Season lightly with a pinch of salt and some fresh cracked pepper. Cook until the breaded tenderloins are browned on each side. Remove browned pieces to the sheet pan/cookie sheet. Carefully wipe out the sauté pan with paper towels and repeat the process until all the chicken tenderloin pieces are browned.

Finish cooking the tenderloin pieces in the pre-heated oven. The amount of time will depend on the thickness of the pieces and the sauteing process. Start with 5 minutes in the oven and check with a thermometer inserted into the thickest part. Cook to 160 degrees. Remove pan from the oven.

Toast the rolls:

Split the rolls in half and spread each ‘interior’ half with softened butter. Lay each half piece face down on another sheet pan/cookie sheet. Put in the oven to toast for 5-9 minutes or until the buttered sides are toasted and crispy.

Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for a few moments or until just cool enough to handle.

Building the sandwiches:

Make 4 ‘piles’ of cooked tenderloins; that is, push 2 pieces together to form 4 ‘piles’. Drape 2 thin-sliced pieces of swiss cheese over each ‘pile’, making sure that the cheese stays on top of the piles (so it doesn’t melt off and down onto the sheet pan). Return sheet pan to the oven and cook briefly, just until the cheese is melted.

Spread a tablespoon of the reserved remoulade sauce of each side of the toasted buns. Using a spatula place 1-tenderloin-cheese-pile on each bun. Drape 1-2 slices of very thinly sliced ham on top.

Garnish with chopped lettuce, baby arugula or thin sliced tomatoes. Top with the toasted bun. Cut in half. Serve with extra remoulade sauce and some crispy chips.