Kentucky Hot Brown

Today's featured recipe is a Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich. This basically is a cross between a BLT Fried Chicken Sandwich and a Croque Madame, minus the egg. But all in all, it's a thing of beauty and has been on my radar ever since moving to Tennessee, so let's dive into this recipe. First thing on the agenda is bacon, and I like cooking my bacon on a sheet tray at around 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, or until the majority of the fat is rendered Since this recipe calls for a cream sauce, we're going to whip up a quick bechamel. So in a sauce pot on low to medium heat, you're going to melt your butter, then whisk in the all-purpose flour, and cook for 1 minute. Then you're going to whisk in the milk, parmesan cheese, and swiss cheese, and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, just until it begins to thicken up. Once it achieves the desired consistency, remove it from the heat and season with salt Next up, you're going to butterfly your chicken breasts. Then using the back of your knife, tenderize the chicken. Place the chicken in between parchment or plastic wrap, and pound it out with a wide, flat-bottomed pan until it's about 1 quarter inch thick or so. Once you're done pounding out the chicken, you're going to season it with salt, pepper, fresh rosemary and thyme, then dust both sides with all-purpose flour, then lightly coat the fillet with some egg wash, and then thoroughly coat both sides with panko breadcrumbs. Then you're going to shallow fry the chicken on medium to high heat for around 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer to a tray with a paper towel, fry up some rosemary to garnish, and season the chicken with salt when it's super hot out of the fryer. Once the bacon is ready, you're going to place that on a tray with a paper towel as well, and put both trays into a warm oven while you prepare the bread loaf. Similar to a meatball sub, you'll want to remove some of the breadcrumb to make way for the sandwich filling. Then you're going to drizzle a little bit of olive oil right over the top of the bread with some cracked black pepper, then toast under the broiler until it has a nice little crispy edge. Then you're going to place the fried chicken right on top of the toasted bread, followed by some sliced tomatoes straight from the garden, just give these a little torch to add some char. Then goes the bechamel all around the sandwich, a few slices of swiss cheese, and this thing gets broiled for 2-3 minutes until it's bubbly and beautiful. Once the sandwich is all nice and toasted, top it with some bacon, those crispy fried herbs, and that is how I make a Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich. Most are made with turkey, but chicken will do just fine. A Kentucky Hot Brown.