Roast Chicken Salad Sandwiches

If you like salad and sandwich, this one's for you!  This chicken sandwich is bursting with flavors.  Fresh, summery and scrumptious!  Incorporating chopped, crispy celery in it makes every bite a huge difference.  Eating a salad in a baguette is actually quite tasty!  The hint of parsley and tarragon make it fresh and herbaceous complementing the flavors together.   I'd never made mayonnaise from scratch before, looking at the recipe kind of intimidated me a bit.  I thought I'd cheat and go for the store-bought one but I'm glad I didn't, we would not know how easy and good it was, otherwise.

This became our go-to sandwich since the day my hubby discovered it online.  I, personally, am not a big fan of sandwiches but after making this one for the first time it changed my preferred taste bud.  No, I don't like it.  I actually love it that it found a spot in our regular menu list.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

1 4-pound chicken (I use chicken breasts, baked)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon
3 sprigs parsley or tarragon

For the mayonnaise:
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt

For the salad:
2 stalks celery, diced, plus
2 tablespoons chopped leaves (didn't have the leaves)
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
2 baguettes, split open
Potato chips, for serving (optional)

Directions

Roast the chicken: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Rinse the chicken and pat dry; season generously inside and out with salt and black pepper. Stuff the lemon half and herb sprigs inside the cavity, then place the chicken in a baking dish. Roast until golden brown all over and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Remove and discard the skin, then pull the meat off the bones and chop or tear into bite-size pieces; refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.

Make the mayonnaise: Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice and mustard in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Cook, whisking constantly, until hot, about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan and gradually drizzle in the vegetable oil, whisking until thick and creamy. Whisk in 1 tablespoon water, the cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Make the salad: Add the celery and leaves, the shallot, parsley, chives, tarragon and chicken to the prepared mayonnaise. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Pull out some of the bread from the inside of the baguettes, then stuff with the chicken salad. Cut into sandwiches; serve with potato chips.

Recipe Courtesy: Food Network Magazine

Yield: 6 servings