Chicken, Prosciutto and Pepper Sandwich

I have a soft spot for roasted peppers.

        There’s something almost magical about what happens when a bell pepper meets high heat. The sharpness disappears, the natural sugars come forward, and suddenly you have something silky, sweet and packed with flavor.

Better yet, roasted peppers add something every sandwich, burger, pasta or salad needs... moisture, without adding more fat. No dry bites here.

Whenever peppers go on sale, I buy more than I need. I roast the whole batch, peel them, and tuck them into the refrigerator with a little olive oil. They’re my secret weapon for easy meals all week long.

This sandwich was born from exactly that habit.

I had crispy chicken cutlets, a little prosciutto left over, a fresh loaf of ciabatta and a container of stracciatella begging to be used. The roasted peppers tied everything together. Their sweetness balanced the salty prosciutto, while the creamy cheese softened against the warm chicken and peppers.

Instead of making individual sandwiches, we built one giant sandwich on the whole loaf of ciabatta, then sliced it into generous portions. It looked beautiful on the cutting board and made a simple lunch feel like something from an Italian café.

So the next time you see bell peppers on sale, don’t just buy enough for tonight. Roast a whole tray. You’ll thank yourself every time you’re looking for a way to make an ordinary meal taste extraordinary.

INGREDIENTS

For the roasted peppers:

4 to 6 bell peppers (any color)

A “bunch” of garlic cloves - let your heart decide - if you’ll preserve some for later

Olive oil

Salt

For the chicken cutlets:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded thin

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten with a tablespoon of water

2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional, but highly recommended)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil or a combination of olive oil and butter for frying

For the sandwich:

1 loaf ciabatta bread

4 to 6 thin slices prosciutto

1 cup roasted peppers

8 ounces stracciatella cheese (The cheese usually inside burrata)

Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh basil leaves (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Roast the whole peppers for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, until the skins are blistered and blackened (I personally like them really blackened - it’s easier to remove the skins and it adds a great smoky flavor). Transfer to a covered bowl or paper bag for about 15 minutes. Peel, seed and slice into strips. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Set aside those you’ll use for the sandwich and preserve the rest in a jar with good olive oil and a ton of garlic.

Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Dredge each cutlet first in flour, then dip into the beaten eggs, and finally coat well with the seasoned breadcrumbs mixed with the Parmesan.

Heat about ¼ inch of olive oil, or olive oil and butter, in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the cutlets until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain briefly on paper towel. Halve horizontally then lightly toast the ciabatta.

Place the warm chicken cutlets over the bottom half of the bread. (I should have taken more dough out of the middle, which you might want to do.) Layer the prosciutto over the chicken, followed by a generous amount of roasted peppers. Spoon the stracciatella over the peppers and finish with a few basil leaves, a drizzle of good olive oil and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Top with the remaining half of the ciabatta and gently press together. Let the sandwich rest for a couple of minutes before slicing into large pieces.

Whenever bell peppers are on sale, roast a whole batch. Stored in olive oil in the refrigerator, they’ll add instant flavor and moisture to sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, pasta salads, omelets, burgers and even grilled steaks. They’re one of those ingredients that make almost everything taste better.