Eric travels to Florida for business a few times a year. If one of his trips happens during the winter and is longer that 3 days, I tag along with him. The first time I did that, his trip was to Orlando. We turned it into a family vacation, and the kids & I toured theme parks while Eric worked. The second Florida trip was just the two of us. We stayed on the mainland side of the bridge to Sanibel and Captive Islands. It’s a beautiful area with lots to do. I enjoyed Sanibel Island with longtime family friends in the area. I took Eric back to the islands later in the week. We had the most amazing Key lime pie we’ve ever eaten there. On our tour of the Everglades (a bucket list item for me), we stopped to pick up sandwiches for lunch. That was when I tried my first Cuban sandwich.
This sandwich originated in southern Florida as a cheap lunch offered to Cuban immigrants working in the cigar factories during the late 1800s. Typically, the cubano, or Cuban sandwich, is made with roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and dill pickle slices. It can be grilled or not and while Cuban bread makes the best sandwiches, French or Italian breads are good substitutions. Our most recent trip to Florida inspired me to recreate a Cuban sandwich at home. Using chicken in place of the roasted pork cuts down on the time required to get it on the table. For an even quicker version, use sliced rotisserie chicken. And enjoy the results!
Chicken Cuban Sandwich
Chicken Cuban Sandwich (chicken cooking method adapted from thekitchn.com, sandwich recipe adapted from betterrecipes.com) Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 loaf French bread
- spicy brown mustard, to taste
- 8 slices prosciutto ham
- 4 dill pickles, sliced lengthwise
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- softened butter
Directions:
Pound the raw chicken to an even thickness between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.
Pounding the chicken to an even thickness ensures even cooking.
Salt & pepper both sides of the breasts. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the chicken and reduce the heat to low. Cook the breasts for 1 minute.
Cook the chicken for 1 minute, then flip it, cover it & don’t peek!
Turn the breasts over and cover the saute pan with a tight fitting lid. Cook the chicken for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid of the pan! Take the pan off the heat and allow it to sit for 10 additional minutes, again without lifting the lid.
Perfectly cooked!
In the meantime, slice the loaf of bread open. Layer the mustard on one half of the loaf and the butter on the other half of the loaf. Layer the prosciutto ham, Swiss cheese, and pickle slices along the loaf. Slice the cooked chicken into pieces and layer it on the sandwiches.
Spread the butter & mustard on the bread then layer on the other ingredients.
Don’t forget the pickles!
Cut the sandwich into the desired number of servings and serve cold or press it in a panini press until the cheese is melted and the outside is browned.
Brown the sandwich in a panini press, if desired.
It’s wonderfully tasty either hot or cold!
This brings warm thoughts of Florida to chilly Spring days! ~Linda
Chicken Cuban Sandwich (chicken cooking method adapted from thekitchn.com, sandwich recipe adapted from betterrecipes.com) Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 loaf French bread
- spicy brown mustard, to taste
- 8 slices prosciutto ham
- 4 dill pickles, sliced lengthwise
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- softened butter
Directions:
Pound the raw chicken to an even thickness between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Salt & pepper both sides of the breasts. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the chicken and reduce the heat to low. Cook the breasts for 1 minute. Turn the breasts over and cover the saute pan with a tight fitting lid. Cook the chicken for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid of the pan! Take the pan off the heat and allow it to sit for 10 additional minutes, again without lifting the lid.
In the meantime, slice the loaf of bread open. Layer the mustard on one half of the loaf and the butter on the other half of the loaf. Layer the prosciutto ham, Swiss cheese, and pickle slices along the loaf. Slice the cooked chicken into pieces and layer it on the sandwiches. Cut the sandwich into the desired number of servings and serve cold or press it in a panini press until the cheese is melted and the outside is browned.