A chicken parm on a bun. The breaded patty takes marinara and melted mozzarella, the buns are toasted in olive oil instead of spread with mayo, and shredded lettuce and basil add the cold crunch and freshness a parm doesn’t usually have.
Picks
Tomato, cheese, and olive oil over a crisp patty, with cold lettuce and fresh basil.
- Chicken sandwich patties: Ground chicken, salted, with a pinch of baking soda
- Breading and frying chicken patties: Double coat or light breading, pan-fried
- Assembling chicken sandwiches: Buns toasted in olive oil, mozzarella melted on the patty, shredded lettuce and basil
- Chicken sandwich sauces: Marinara, warm, on the patty
Why these picks
- Olive oil, not mayo. It brings the fat and suits the tomato.
- Cheese under the sauce. Melted onto the patty, the mozzarella shields the crust from the marinara.
- Shredded lettuce and basil. Cold and crunchy against the hot sauce and cheese, and the basil makes it taste like the sauce was just made. Shred the basil at the last minute so it doesn’t blacken.
How it fails
- Soggy: too much marinara. A spoonful, not a ladle.
- Rubbery cheese: it went on cold. Melt it on the patty in the pan, under a lid.
Variations
- Parm: add grated Parmesan over the mozzarella.
Recipes
Pan-fried chicken burger (the patty, and its Italian parm variation), Simple marinara.