This is a sandwich meal inspired by our favourite café restaurant in Montréal. Shortly after moving to Old Montréal, we lived a stone’s throw from Olive & Gourmando, still one of our absolute favourite places to eat, and holders of our self-bestowed title of The World’s Greatest Almond Croissant! If you ever happen to be visiting Old Montréal, this place is an absolute must! If there’s a queue, just wait – however long it takes – I guarantee it’s worth it!!

O&G’s sandwiches sell out every day, and this was my favourite. Now that we’re an hour and a half out of town, and in an effort to make a calorie controlled version of this most delicious meal, I though I’d give it a try… 

I thought about making this sandwich with some 2-ingredient-dough in a naan-type bread, but then thought about using frozen rotis (quicker and easier!). They’re frozen, and are sometimes called pancakes, but they look like this….

On discovering the rotis were 180cal each, I thought it would be worth it, and I wasn’t wrong – these turned out amazingly well! The whole sandwich, bursting at the seams, which I cut into two large pieces, came to 498 calories, and was definitely filling enough for a hearty lunch, or with a salad as a main meal.

I had a very large chicken breast from a friend’s farm, so I sliced it through the middle lengthwise making two thinner fillets, so that they would cook quicker. If you only have small chicken breasts, and they’re not too thick, then don’t bother splitting them.  Place the chicken on a large sheet of parchment paper and dust both sides with smoked paprika, ground allspice, a little black pepper and some sea salt. Now fold the paper over the chicken and bash it with a rolling pin (or a meat tenderising mallet if you have one). This will ingrain the spices, and will flatten the meat to just under a centimeter.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan, add a scant teaspoon of olive oil, just enough to coat the pan. Place the chicken in the hot pan and allow it to sit and seal. After 2 minutes, turn the chicken to seal the other side. Once the chicken is well browned on both sides and cooked through, transfer to a plate and cover with foil to rest and keep warm.

Peel and slice the Mango into half-centimeter slices. Slice the tomato and sprinke with salt and pepper. Get your guacamole ready (I find that store bought guacamole tends to be lower in calories than mashing up an avocado myself, but do as you wish depending on how strict your calorie budget is).

Now cook the rotis. They’re cooked from frozen, so do keep each one in the freezer till you’re ready to cook it.  Heat a clean non-stick frying pan on a medium high heat.  The packet instructions say to add oil to the pan, but I never do – whatever the brand, they’ve always turned out perfectly in a dry pan.

Remove the protective wrap from the first roti and place the disc of dough in the pan. As it cooks, the edges will start to turn translucent. Give it a minute, then gently flip it over. After 20-30 seconds move the roti around in the pan, then flip it again. Continue moving and flipping the roti till its nicely browned on both sides.

Transfer to a plate lined with a double layer of kitchen paper. Gently crumple the roti towards the centre while it’s still hot (using the kitchen paper to protect your fingers). This will give the roti it’s signature flakiness. Cook the second roti the same way.

Now it’s time to assemble the sandwiches.  Put the roti on a plate, and spread the guacamole over one half. Next slice the chicken on an angle and lay it on top of the guacamole. Place the mango and tomato on top of the chicken and fold over the other half of the roti.  Gently slice in two and enjoy…

RECIPE: BLACKENED CHICKEN ROTIS 498cals

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 320g chicken breast (1 large, fat breast) sliced through the middle to make 2 fillets
• 1 tsp (4g) smoked paprika
• ½ tsp ground all spice
• S&P
• ½ a fresh ripe mango
• ½ a large tomato 
• Guacamole 
• 1tsp olive oil
• 2 rotis

Method 

• Slice the chicken breast through the middle lengthwise to make two thinner fillets.
• Combine 1tsp smoked paprika and ½ teaspoon ground allspice in a small bowl with salt and pepper, then sprinkle over both sides of the chicken fillets. Rub the spices over the whole breast to make sure they stick.
• Peel the mango, slice the flesh off the central pit, and cut it into wide diagonals on an angle.
• Slice the tomato into half centimeter slices. Pat them dry with paper towel and sprinkle a little salt and black pepper over the slices.
• All the above can be done in advance and refrigerated till you’re ready.
• Cook the chicken: in a large non-stick frying pan, heat a teaspoon of olive oil on a medium high heat. Place the chicken flat into the pan and let it sear and brown for a minute. Turn to get the other side well browned and cooked through. Once cooked transfer to a plate and cover with foil to stay warm and juicy.
• Now cook the rotis: heat a clean non-stick frying pan. Remove the rotis from the freezer one at a time (they need to stay frozen) and peel off the protective wrap. Place a roti into the hot pan and leave it till it gets translucent at the edges (about 20-30 seconds), gently flip it over. Using a spatula, move the roti around in the pan, and flip it several times to cook both sides evenly. It will start to puff up, so flatten it, move it around and flip it till it’s nicely browned.
• When the roti is brown, transfer it to a paper towel and immediately but gently crumple its edges towards the centre, using the towel to protect your fingers. This ‘activates’ the flakiness of the dough to give it the authentic roti texture.
• Cook the second roti the same way.
• Assemble the sandwiches by spreading a generous layer of guacamole on one half of the roti, slice the chicken and lay it on top of the guacamole. Add the slices of mango and the tomato on top, then fold over the empty half of the roti.  Gently slice the whole thing into two and serve immediately while the chicken and the roti are still warm