Grilled Chicken Sandwich on Ottawa's Best Bread

After seeing a photo of a sandwich posted on Art-Is-In Bakery's Facebook feed, I was inspired to roll by the bakery in order to pick up a loaf of their cheddar-jalepeño bread so I could make my own chicken sandwich.

What I came out with was a perfectly shaped loaf, just the right amount of uniform girth to allow me to form a nearly perfect sandwich.  All I had to do was slice it correctly and come up with the filling.  I started with a properly sized natural chicken breast (by properly, I mean like not those over grown chicken bits that seem to have been in some sort of Mr. Universe competition).  I marinated it for a few hours in about 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, chopped garlic and onions with a pinch of kosher salt and crushed black pepper.

I also sourced some local fresh mozzarella, sliced some of and pressed out some of the liquid by lined the slices between two paper towels and weighing them down.  After grilling the chicken on some lump charcoal, I let the breast rest for about 15 minutes while letting the grill chill to about 350.

I then sliced off about 6 inches of Art-Is-In cheddar-jalepeño bread and then sliced that lengthwise.  Now I was ready for assembly. I began with a smear of a roasted garlic tomato sauce that I made last weekend on the bottom piece and landed the grilled chicken breast over that.  Next I lined up 2 slices of the drained mozzarella and gave that a dusting of salt.  Fresh mozz is usually salt-less so you need to bring out the cheesy flavours with a touch of salt.

Another smear of sauce was added atop, and then some chopped fresh basil, sliced red onion, and super fresh field greens.  A touch more salt wouldn't hurt if you're using a store-based organic tomato sauce.  Those are usually low in salt which also means "under-seasoned".  Taste it before hand if you're unsure.

With both top and bottom of the sandwich facing up, it was time to lay them on a baking sheet and place them into the hot 350 degree oven.  I gave it about 15 minutes and released the sandwich out of the oven and married the top and bottom together.  After that amount of time, the bread had transformed into a texture that really enhanced the bite and crunch for a sandwich of this nature.