Ingredients

For the sandwich:

-  Flat and round peasant bread

-  1 bouquet of rocket

For the chicken:

-  1 kg. chicken (free-range)

-  1 onion (large)

-  2 bay leaves

-  1 carrot

-  1 leek

-  1 clove

-  1 sprig of fresh oregano

-  Salt

-  Black peppercorns

-  2.5 l. water

For the sauce:

-  200 gr. stale bread (to make breadcrumbs)

-  500 gr. walnuts

-  3 cloves of garlic

-  60 ml. vinegar

-  3-5 dried tomatoes

-  3 gr. coriander seeds

-  2-3 sprigs of fresh coriander

Preparation

Chicken

1.     Clean the chicken. Make sure no red spots or internal organs are left, as this will blur the color of the bouillon.

2.     Place the chicken in a pot after cleaning thoroughly.

3.     Put the sliced onion, bay leaves, carrot, leek, clove, and fresh oregano in the pot.

4.     Add some salt and black peppercorns.

5.     Add enough water to cover the chicken. (The 2.5-liter indication in the ingredients list can change according to the size of your chicken.)

Note: It is best if your free-range chicken is fat. As this recipe doesn’t include any oil, it is easy for the dish to turn tasteless, whilst a fat chicken gives the dish a nice flavor. The chicken bouillon that is being prepared now will be used in the recipe later on; therefore, it is better to cook it with a minimum amount of water, which will allow the bouillon to get a more concentrated flavor.

Sauce

1. While the chicken is cooking, put the bread in the oven at 100-120°C for 20 to 25 minutes; then put it in the food processor to make breadcrumbs.

2. After placing the walnuts in the oven at 150°C for 5 minutes, pound the walnuts with a mortar and pestle set. The pounding will also release the oil from the walnuts, which will add a rich flavor to the chicken.

3. To enhance the flavor of coriander, heat the coriander seeds in a pan on low-heat.

4. Pound the garlic with a pinch of salt.

5. After having prepared all the ingredients, take a look at the chicken. Chances are it hasn’t cooked properly yet. A free-range chicken has more muscles than a regular chicken, as it is free to move around. Even though this increases the cooking time, you’ll get a more flavorful chicken. It takes nearly 2 hours for a free-range chicken over 1 kg to cook properly.

6. Once the chicken is done, take it off the heat and put it aside to let it cool.

7.  Pour the chicken bouillon through the sifter to separate the vegetables, and place the chicken in a bowl that will allow it to cool down faster.

8.  Once the chicken has cooled down, cut the chicken in pieces, and remove the cartilage and skin as these create an unpleasant feeling in the mouth.

9.  Mix the walnuts, coriander seeds, garlic, and breadcrumbs in the food processor.

10. Then, add the dried tomatoes, vinegar, and fresh coriander (if you like) to the food processor and mix again.

11. Carefully add the chicken bouillon to the mixture, which should have a paste-like consistency. While adding the bouillon, make sure that the mixture doesn’t get too watery. All you need is enough bouillon to cover the chicken pieces. Also make sure that the paste doesn’t remain too solid, because you want the flavors to mix well. Keep in mind that the breadcrumbs will continue to soak up the bouillon, so the dish will be drier when served.

12.  Now, add the chicken pieces to the mixture and mix well. The coriander gives freshness to the dish, while the dried tomatoes add some sweetness. Don’t serve the dish immediately; let flavors to mix properly. You’ll get a better result if you leave it in the fridge for half a day.

Sandwich

1.   For the sandwich, slice the bread in eight triangular pieces.

2.  Cut each slice in half and warm both sides of the bread in the oven or on a pan. Take a good amount of the chicken mixture and spread it over the bread, place some rocket leaves on top as a finishing touch, and top it off with another slice of bread. Your sandwich is now ready to serve.