Mint Pea & Ricotta Chicken Sandwich

This Mint Pea and Ricotta Chicken Sandwich is one of my favourite spring/summer sandwiches to make. It’s super refreshing and not something you see everyday!

We’ve got 2 slices of toasted homemade sourdough filled with a bright minty pea and ricotta sauce. The chicken is so juicy, baked to perfection. Then topped with mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes. Finally some peppery rockets for a little kick.

I love making this for meal prep especially on the days that I am working from home. At the bottom of this recipe you’ll see how I like to prep everything and how you can use the mint pea and ricotta sauce to make a great pasta dish as well!

INGREDIENTS:

MINT PEA AND RICOTTA –

• 1 Chicken Stock Cube
• 300g Frozen Garden Peas
• 25g Mint
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 150g Ricotta
• 1/2 Lemon

CHICKEN –

• 1 Chicken Breast
• Vegetable/Neutral Oil or Olive Oil
• Salt
• Ground Black Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Cumin, Garlic (any of your favourite chicken seasonings)

OTHER –

• 2 Slices of Sourdough Bread
• Butter, for toasting bread
• 1 Mozzarella Ball
• 2-3 Sun-Dried Tomato
• Handful of Rocket

STEPS:

MINT PEA AND RICOTTA –

1. Add chicken stock to boiling water and add the frozen peas. Leave it to boil until softened. Drain but save the liquid and set the peas aside
2. In the same liquid, blanch mint then remove and set aside
3. Reserve a cup of the chicken stock liquid
4. Add peas, mint, garlic cloves, ricotta, and the juice of 1/2 a lemon into a blender. Gradually add the chicken stock to help the mixture blend until smooth. You’re looking for a dip-like consistency (like hummus)
5. Once smooth, salt to taste and add more lemon juice if needed (you may not need any extra salt)
6. This will make a large batch that you can use throughout the week. Store it in an airtight container and pop it into the fridge

CHICKEN AND BREAD –

1. Cover the chicken breast in a light layer of oil then evenly coat it with salt and the above listed seasonings
2. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 18-20mins
3. When the chicken is ready, set it aside to rest for 10 min then slice into 1.5-2cm thicken slices
4. Cover the 2 slices of sourdough bread with lightly salted butter and pop it into the oven at 200°C for 8mins

SANDWICH –

1. Start with a slices of toasted bread
2. Spread a thick layer of the mint pea and ricotta spread
3. Add the sliced chicken breast
4. Slice mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes
5. Place the cheese over the chicken. Optional to torch the cheese so it gets a bit melty
6. Evenly spread the sun-dried tomatoes
7. Place a large handful of rocket
8. Spread some more of the mint pea and ricotta sauce on the second slice of bread and top the sandwich

YOUR WEEKLY MEAL PREP

This is one of my favourite type of meal prep because you can prep all the components separately and assemble it fresh everyday with only 20min! This is the best for work-from-home days because you don’t need to cook a whole new meal but you can still enjoy a freshly made sandwich.

The Mint Pea and Ricotta sauce can be stored in an airtight container for the week. For this sandwich, just spread it directly onto the bread. You can also use it as a delicious pasta sauce, simply add it to some al-dente pasta and some pasta water to create a deliciously refreshing pasta dish.

Throw your chicken breast in an airtight container or ziplock bog with all of the seasonings. This way, you just need to throw it into the oven to bake on the day.

Mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes can be pre-sliced and kept together in an airtight container in the fridge.