Friday 5 July 2013

Low-Carb Mediterranean Chicken 'Sandwich'

Glistening, jewel-bright Mediterranean ingredients form the filling for this 'sandwich' of flash-cooked chicken breasts. This is a lovely lunch if you're on a low-carb regime or you're diabetic.

You can serve this as an 'open' sandwich, or place another griddled chicken breast
on top (see picture, below) .

I've featured many low-carb recipes on this blog, because I love this way of eating. You can see a selection of 30 of my original dishes here, and read more about the contentious but popular Tim Noakes low-carb regime in this blogpost.

The double-decker version of my low-carb chicken 'sandwich' .
This easy recipe is most delicious, crammed as it is with all sorts of Mediterranean flavours. You can pack anything you like between the breasts - when I make this dish, I raid my local deli counter and buy small quantities of anything that takes my fancy.  Bacon would be good, and perhaps some avocado, or sliced boiled eggs, or any of the high-fat foods encouraged on regimes of this sort.

You can make this in a jiffy if you cook the chicken breasts in a sandwich press. To find out how to do this - and why it's such a quick and sneaky way of cooking for kids - click here.

This recipe serves one.

Low-Carb Mediterranean Chicken 'Sandwich'

2 free-range, skinless chicken breasts
salt and milled black pepper
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, for frying
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
4 calamata olives, pitted and halved
3 small preserved artichoke hearts, halved lengthway
3 Tbsp (45 ml) crumbled feta cheese
a white anchovy fillet [optional, and to taste]
a few rocket or watercress leaves
extra olive oil for drizzling

Heat a ridged griddle pan or frying pan until it is very hot. Place the breasts between two sheets of clingfilm or baking paper and, using a rolling pin, lightly flatten them so they are of an even thickness at both ends.  Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the olive oil to the pan and fry both the breasts and the cherry tomatoes (cut side down) for 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through and the tomatoes are lightly charred.  The time it will take to cook the breasts will depend on how cold they are to begin with, and their thickness.

Splash the lemon juice into the pan, leave for 15 seconds, then remove the breasts and tomatoes from the heat and let them rest for 3 minutes.

Arrange the fillings of your choice, in layers, over the bottom breast..

Arrange the filling ingredients, in layers, between the cooked breasts, sprinkle lightly with olive oil and season to taste with more salt and pepper. Push a skewer through the middle of the 'sandwich' to hold everything together and serve immediately.

Serves 1.


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