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Sambal Chicken Sandwich Spread

by 12 Comments

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Hot on the enthusiastic heels of my last post, I have
already decided to make short work of those goals I mentioned.  When it comes to that blessed event called
“starting” there is no time like right now right?  So that’s what we are doing for 2012 folks, we
are starting.  Starting, doing,
moving.  Starting what exactly?  Oh, many things I’m sure:  Starting on that list of resolutions.  Starting to live a healthier life (ok, for
me, that would be semi-healthier – sorry, but pork, butter, sugar, and caffeine are here to
stay).  Starting to attack that pile of
bills on top of the printer.  Starting
that book you got over the holidays.  It
could be anything really, and I am sure as the year goes on, it will be a lot
of things, but right now it doesn’t matter. 
What matters is holding on to that wonderful feeling of bursting possibility,
that clean-slate of endless potential, and just running with it.  What matters is pulling your foot up and moving
it forward.
Just starting! 
Bold, glorious, kinetic starting!
But before moving mountains, or finally getting my files
in order (which is actually very much the same thing), let’s start with
leftovers.  Finding ways to use leftover
to be more exact…and avoiding food waste in the process (one of my goals forthis year).  This is one of the things I
like to do with leftover roast or baked chicken.
Sambal Chicken Sandwich Spread
  • 2 cups very roughly shredded or chopped chicken meat
    (leftover from a roast or baked chicken)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill leaves
  • 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
  • 4-5 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 3 teaspoons sambal asli
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • Sea salt, if needed 
– Place the chicken, dill, cilantro, onion, mayonnaise,
and sambal in a bowl.  Top with a
generous cracking of pepper.  Mix thoroughly.
– Taste and see if it needs additional salt.  If your roast chicken was heavily seasoned
you may not need to add any more.
– Store in a clean jar in the fridge.
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As this makes use of leftover chicken it is pretty
flexible in terms of quantities, so adjust based on what you have to work
with.  Here are some of my notes:
  • The chicken – It’s best to shred the meat off the bones
    with your hands to get every last bit out. 
    You can also tear it out in big chunks and then chopped them up with a
    knife.  The beauty here is that
    you can shred or chop as finely or as chunkily as you like, giving the sandwich
    spread your preferred texture.  You can
    use leftovers off any roast or baked chicken. 
    The chicken I used here came from leftover rotisserie chicken that my
    mom had brought over one night for dinner. 
    Cost to me = zero!  Oh, and make
    sure to save the bones for stock – just place them in a ziplock bag in your
    freezer until you have enough to make a batch.
  • The herbs – I like to add fresh herbs as this livens up
    the spread and gives the leftovers new life.  I’ve used dill and cilantro here but feel free to experiment with your
    own favorites, or whatever you have on hand. 
    And please nix the cilantro if you or a family member is averse to it –
    I know, and totally accept, that not everyone is a cilantro-lover as I am.  This is also a good way to use up the odd
    bits of leftover herbs that you have hanging out in your crisper.  Double leftover action!
  • The mayonnaise – There are mayo-people and non-mayo-people.  I am a mayo-person.  Please adjust the amount to suit your
    position.
  • The sambal – I used this sambal asli, but depending
    on your sambal, and your tastes, go ahead and adjust the amount until you find
    the right level of heat for you.
  • The sandwich – for the sandwich pictured here I used multi-grain
    bread, thinly sliced apple, and micro arugula. 
    I love the bite of arugula, and I really prefer sprouts over leaf
    lettuce in sandwiches, so I have been a happy camper since I found micro
    arugula in my weekend market (from these lovely folks).  And the apple provides both sweetness and
    crunch that gets on splendidly with the spicy, creamy chicken.
I hope to do more posts on saving leftovers, as well as
odd bits from the kitchen (like stems from vegetables and skin from pork – yes,
it has uses aside from crackling!), this year. 
I’ll also try to suggest uses for the leftovers of the other dishes I do
post about.  All towards the end of
avoiding food waste.  You can click on leftovers under Categories on my sidebar for other ways in which I’ve used leftovers.  If there is
anything in particular you’d like to see here just let me know.   
Now let’s get started! 
Wishing you all a beautiful weekend!

Comments

  1. Wow you have been making a lot of sambal dishes recently, would love to make my own. Do you know where I can get good sambal here in Metro Manila?

    Thanks =)

    Reply

  2. I love making delicious sandwiches with leftovers. First the flavors always seem a little more intense and it such a satisfying feeling to know I've been good with using up what I had on hand. Looks delicious!

    Reply

  4. I love this! I love sandwiches, am obsessed with left-overs, can't live without mayo.. in short, every inch your disciple 🙂 i carried around Saveur's Sandwich issue for maybe 2 months. Have you checked Nancy Silverton's sandwich book?

    Reply

  6. Hi Eileen! I know! We will take a sambal break here, I promise! For sambal here, I would check out Metro Gaisano supermarket in Market! Market! as their Asian products selection is better then most other supermarkets 🙂 I use sambal asli in these recipes 🙂

    Hi Simone! Yes, so true! I also find the flavors more robust when using leftover chicken for sandwiches 🙂

    Hi Rosa! Thanks! They do taste yummy…and make you feel like you've done something good too 🙂

    Hi jewelsandstuff! We have so much in common already! I will check out Nancy Silverton's book…thanks for the recommendation 🙂

    Hi Shalum! Thanks for saying my leftovers are pretty 🙂

    Reply

  7. Sandwiches made with Holiday leftovers are just gorgeous! (I think you could give your sambal chicken sandwiches a bit of extra-oomph with a mustard-mayo mix. It's one of my personal faves!)

    Reply

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