In what seems like a never-ending quest to find more ways to use leftover roast chicken and also to use up an abundance of wings sauce taking up valuable real estate in my kitchen cupboards, I decided to try this idea. I realise I’m not the first person to do this, but here we are and this is how I do it. In England, it’s a toasty, but for any of my fellow Americans who are reading, it’s a grilled cheese. Whatever you choose to call it, this delicious and hearty sandwich is a meal in itself. Depending on the size of bread you use and how much chicken you have leftover, you might want to split one toasty between two people… It’s very filling. If you want something alongside and I doubt you will, but it depends on how hungry you are, a bowl of tomato soup would be lovely as would some crisps (aka potato chips for American readers) or fries.
While I’d love to give you precise measurements, the rule of this recipe is kind of “as much as you like,” but I have given a rough idea below. I would encourage you however to use what you have and make as much as you like. If you don’t have a whole cup of chicken, but you have enough for a small sandwich, go ahead, or perhaps make up for it with a bit of extra cheese… You can’t mess this up really and being super precise is not the name of the game here. It’s all about throwing together some leftovers with what you have on hand or can easily pick up at a shop to create an epic sandwich.
While you can use whatever bread you like, I encourage you to find a sturdy, crusty bread like the big round loaves you see at the bakery because it won’t feel like just a sandwich, but an elevated, special meal choice. You can absolutely use a sliced, soft loaf like the ones you get at the grocery store or any other bread you like, but it won’t be quite the same. Likewise, you can use store-bought cooked chicken – I do all the time, however it’s worth noting that it will always be more flavourful with leftover roast chicken. A mix of what’s left behind, both light and dark meat satisfyingly picked off the carcass with your fingers, especially the bits on the bottom of the chicken that are so moist and flavourful, saved for a new purpose after a satisfying roast dinner. It works either way though if you don’t have roast chicken on hand. Try my Buffalo Roast Chicken or Pot Roasted Chicken and use those leftovers – 1 chicken, two delicious meals and it’s actually 3 perhaps if you boil the carcass for stock to use for a soup or pop in the freezer to cook with later.
Ingredients (makes one large sandwich)
- A handful (about a cup) of cooked chicken or leftover roast chicken, roughly chopped
- Buffalo Sauce to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons ranch dressing
- Pinch of celery salt (optional)
- Pinch of smoked paprika (optional)
- Quick grating of nutmeg (optional)
- 2 thick slices of bread from a large bakery loaf
- Butter or margarine of your choice for the bread
- 2-3 slices of cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)
Method
- In a medium sauce pan, heat up your leftover chicken with buffalo sauce. I recommend starting with 2 tablespoons and adding more gradually until you have the flavour level & consistency you want. Buffalo sauce can be quite spicy for some palettes even with the ranch dressing and cheese you’re adding later, so I’ll leave you to decide. I like a lot, coating the chicken and turning it a bright fiery orange, but you can experiment until you find the right amount for you.
- Remove the chicken from the heat when it’s piping hot all the way through and stir in the ranch dressing. Then stir in the paprika, nutmeg and celery salt if you’re using them. Set aside.
- Generously butter two slices of bread on one side (or use margarine or spread of your choice if you prefer). Place the first slice butter side down in a frying pan that’s big enough to hold it on medium-high heat. Layer on enough cheddar cheese slices to cover the slice of bread. I normally use 1 1/2 slices per side if the bread is big. In my opinion, when it comes to cheese on a toasty, more is always more. Scoop on the chicken, spreading it across the cheese-topped bread slice and again, cover with more cheese slices, followed by the second slice of bread, butter side up.
- Pop a lid on the pan if you have one to help retain the heat and melt the toasty all the way through. It’s ok if some of the spread gets on the lid or if you need to mash it down a bit. Fry the sandwich like this for 4-5 minutes or until the bottom is crispy and toasted with the cheese melting inside.
- Carefully flip the sandwich – you may need to use a spatula on the bottom and your fingers on top to hold it all together. Once flipped, press the sandwich down with the spatula and fry on the other side for the same amount of time. If the previous side isn’t quite golden & crispy yet, you can continue to flip & fry until it’s toasted to your preference on both sides, but be careful not to burn it.
- Cut the sandwich in half, serve hot and enjoy.