Chicken Sandwich | Franny and Zooey

‘This is going to be a real little doll of a weekend," Lane interjects, "a chicken sandwich, for God's sake.’
Franny and Zooey
J. D Salinger

Franny and Zooey is a fascinating read - alike to most of J.D Salinger’s work it could be argued. It took me the better part of a month to finish the book. Which does seem a little ridiculous considering the size of it. I think I probably started that book at least fourteen times within a few weeks - trying to read snippets on the train to work in the mornings or over a coffee. Every time it failed to catch my interest and I found myself drifting to another book tucked into my bag.

I finally took a Saturday, situated myself in a cafe with a coffee and sat down with determination to finally, at least, start the book properly. I sat there for abut three hours and four coffees and finished the entire book in that one day. I believe it was about 30 pages in where I realised I wouldn’t be leaving until I’d finish this tale that had somehow become fascinating to me in that time.

Franny in the story orders a simple chicken sandwich - probably not what I’ve created below - but I couldn't quite bring myself to eat a plain chicken sandwich. My version is far more flavoursome, with a homemade vegan mayonnaise - which I made for the first time. It was so easy and I can’t believe I’ve been paying $6 a jar at the supermarket for the stuff when it took me less than five minutes to whip up at home.

In sticking with the Franny and Zooey, I actually did pair my sandwich with (multiple) martinis - a lack of any proper martini glasses left me sipping chilled gin from a coffee mug. But honestly, you’ve got gin, you’ve got vermouth - does the glass really matter?

Note: I used a faux chicken I found in a local asian grocer which required baking. If you’re going to use real chicken - I would recommend chicken breasts that have been poached.

Chicken Sandwich
Serves approx. 5
Sandwich
500g faux chicken, cooked to your liking *see note
3 tbsp chives, finely chopped
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
10 slices soft white bread
Salt
Fresh pepper
Mayonnaise (any leftover mayonnaise will keep for about a week in the fridge in a sealed container)
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Salt

1. Pop the soy milk and vinegar in a blender and pulse for a few seconds to mix.

2. With the blender on low, slowly pour in the oil - gradually increasing the speed of the blender as you do so. The mayonnaise should begin to emulsify and thicken.

3. Have a taste and add in the salt to your liking.

4. Dice your cooked chicken up and place into a medium bowl with the chives, parsley, big pinch of salt and pepper and about 3 tablespoons of the mayonnaise and mix together until everything is nicely coated.

5. Lay out your slices of bread (buttering them is optional depending on how much mayonnaise is in the mix) and place a large spoonful of the chicken mix onto each one until its all used up - basically make a sandwich is the rest of the instructions.

6. These are great for lunchboxes or snacks and are super filling. Enjoy!