Gourmet Chicken Avocado Lettuce and Tomato (A.L.T.) Sandwich

With spring finally appearing, I had a sudden thirst for a juicy tomato and avocado sandwich. The thought of avocados always brings me back to my visit 8 years ago to one of the numerous hipster cafes that had began sprouting all over Parkdale, at the time one of the grittiest neighbourhoods in Toronto (you know the cafes that charge $5.00 for a cup of fair trade coffee when most of the inhabitants in the area shop at Goodwill). I can’t recall the name of the cafe, but I do remember ordering and then devouring the delicious chicken sandwich with avocado. Eight years ago and I still remember my first experience of an avocado sandwich.

You can be adventurous with your ingredients, but the key ingredient in this sandwich is the avocado.

• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• 2-4 lettuce leaves
• 1 hot house tomato
• 2 organic chicken breasts or thighs, seasoned
• 1 loaf of whole grain seed bread, sliced

1. Prepare the chicken breasts/thighs by seasoning them with 2 tablespoons of soya sauce, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and pepper. The soya sauce seasoning will give the chicken colour and depth in taste. Set aside in the fridge overnight.
2. When ready to prepare the sandwich, take the seasoned chicken out of the fridge. Cook the chicken over medium heat in a pan until slightly golden, about 8-10 minutes. Cover with a lid if necessary. Set the cooked chicken aside to cool. I levelled off my chicken thighs by slicing the top of my chicken thighs.
3. Thoroughly wash the lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Cut the tomato into about 6 chunky slices. Peel and pit the avocado. Cut the avocado into slices.

Sometimes I like to use the avocado like butter and spread it on the bread first, which creates a barrier, preventing tomato juice from soaking into the bread. It's also another way to sneak additional protein and avocado goodness into the sandwich. Try it!

In the meantime, toast 4 slices of bread (if you are making 2 sandwiches). Lightly drizzle olive oil over one side of the bread and place it in a toaster. Alternatively, you can toast the bread over the stove in a pan. I used 12-grain & seed bread from Whole Foods, which, with the grains and seeds, gives extra texture to the sandwich.

Assemble the sandwich in whichever fashion you like. I prefer to pad the bottom slice of bread with lettuce, tomato, and avocado to create a flat surface and then top it with the chicken and another piece of lettuce. I inserted a toothpick on each end of the sandwich to keep all the ingredients together, prior to cutting the sandwich in two.