Herb And Almond-dusted Chicken And Leek Sandwiches
Date Posted:26 March 2024
They're creamy, they're irresistible, and they're full of flavour: Annabel Bower's herb and almond-dusted chicken and leek sandwiches are always a crowd pleaser.
In this post, we'll show you how to make them from scratch.
Herb and almond-dusted chicken and leek sandwiches recipe
This is the perfect Mother's Day picnic food or an elegant addition to a high tea with the family. This recipe makes 30 mini sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 1 standard white or wholemeal loaf of bread (thinly sliced)
- 125g of butter (melted)
- 750g of chicken breast
- ½ cup of white wine (or water)
- 2 leeks (excluding the green top)
- 2 cups of whole egg mayonnaise
- ½ cup of parsley leaves
- ¼ cup of tarragon leaves
- The zest of 1 large lemon (reserve juice)
- 1 cup of toasted almond flakes
- ½ cup of parsley, mustard leaves, tarragon, and chervil leaves (mixed together)
- Salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper
- A small circular cookie cutter (approximately 4cm in diameter)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180℃.
- Place chicken breasts in a ceramic baking dish, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and wine (or water) and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 25-30mins at 180℃ or until chicken is opaque and fully cooked.
- Allow to cool and rest before dicing into 1cm cubes. Place chopped chicken in a large bowl. While the chicken is resting, cook the leeks.
- Slice the white part of the leek into 1/2cm circles lengthways. Melt 25g of butter in a heavy-based frying pan, add sliced leek, and allow to colour for 1 minute on medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of water and cook until the leek is soft and the water has evaporated.
- Mix mayonnaise, herbs, three-quarters of the almonds, lemon zest, salt, pepper and three-quarters of the cooked leek together.
- Add three-quarters of this mixture to the chicken, and stir well to combine. Add the remaining mayonnaise mixture (if needed) and make sure the chicken is coated evenly.
- Melt the remaining butter completely. Stir well. Lay out the slices of bread, and cut 3 circles out of each slice using the circular cookie cutter. Using a pastry brush, paint each circle of bread lightly with butter on one side.
- Top half of the circles with 2 generous tablespoons of the chicken mix. Spread out evenly to the edge of the circle. Use the other 1/2 of the bread to complete the sandwiches, placing the buttered side on top of the chicken mixture.
- In a low-sided dish, mix the remaining almond flakes with the mixed herb leaves. Roll each sandwich in the mixture to coat the exposed section with the chicken mixture.
- Serve and enjoy.
Note: The chicken mixture can be made 2 days in advance, though the sandwiches are best assembled just before serving.
Meet Annabel Bower
Annabel Bower is a mother, food stylist, chef, and author. You may recognise her work – she’s one of the powerhouse creatives behind many of The Hamper Emporium’s photoshoots.
Passion is her driving force
Annabel’s love of food led her to train at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland when she was 21. This training gave her a paddock-to-plate philosophy and a dedication to supporting local producers. Back home in Australia, she ran a busy catering company for many years before moving her focus to recipe writing and food styling.
At the heart of everything that inspires Annabel is family. She is the proud mother of 5, aged 3 to 13. Her 4th child Miles was stillborn, and after experiencing the utter heartache such a loss brings, she established the Miles Apart Foundation to raise awareness of the impact of baby loss and wrote the book 'Miles Apart' to support others navigating the grief of losing a baby.
She makes culinary magic with her business 'Food By Annabel'
There’s something about food that brings people together, which is what Annabel loves most about it. From an early age, she was baking brownies for friends and offering to help cook at her parent’s dinner parties; little did she know that this 'hobby' would lead to a 20+ year career in food.
A genuine passion for local produce and a love of exploring new recipes and flavours have stayed with Annabel throughout her career as a caterer and food stylist. The skills and knowledge she amassed from years in the catering kitchen are drawn upon daily when writing recipes for clients and styling delicious scenes for editorial and marketing content.
So many moments in life, big or small, are centred around food, preparing it, sharing it, and taking time to enjoy it with those dear to us. Annabel is happiest when cooking for others, whether it’s a simple dinner with family, an elaborate feast, or a photoshoot brief, equal energy and love are poured into the dishes and how they're presented.
In her own words, "I feel incredibly lucky to have turned my passion for food into a career which has led me to meet and work with so many incredible people; chefs, producers, and writers from all over Australia. Food for me is a way of showing love and making people feel special; I love nothing more than writing recipes for others to recreate and helping style gorgeous scenes full of delicious Australian goodies."
Make memories with your family and friends
Food is at the heart of our interactions with each other, and it has the power to create unforgettable memories. So, no matter the occasion, spoil your friends and family by making them some of Annabel's scrumptious sandwiches.
Or, if it's Mother's Day and you want to delight her tastebuds with a gift instead of a meal, take a look at our Mother’s Day hampers. They're filled with gourmet food and delicious wine alongside pampering treats for Mum.
