Greek Chicken Dagwood Sandwiches

Defense During the Annual Cucumber Glut

Our garden is shooting out cucumber bullets every day, some small and pickle-sized but mostly beastly behemoths.

Ever since the barrage began, I throw one (peeled and seeded) into our daily breakfast smoothies.

Three times we've made Nana's Cucumbers with Sour Cream, my German-Russian and Canadian grandmother's recipe. And twice Old Liz's Old-Fashioned Cucumber Salad. And hey! I can tell you now what I couldn't back in 2008 when readers first fell in love with this cucumber and tomato salad and I fell in love with this guy, "Old Liz" was Jerry's mother!

We also adore Smitten Kitchen's Avocado-Cucumber Salad and even added grapes and honeydew and blueberries and I-forget-what-all-else for an after-wedding brunch in Texas one year. Kalyn's Kitchen's Cucumber Avocado Salad adds tuna to the mix, it makes for a quick but substantial Saturday lunch on the regular around here.

We've made two jars wonderful jars of Sun Pickles. (Recipe coming soon!)

But mostly? We give cucumbers to anyone who'll take one or two or a dozen. The rest just taunt us.

Juicy Cucumbers for Sandwiches

It's easy to cut a few skinny-minny slices of cucumber for a sandwich but for this Greek-style dagwood sandwich, I used a long-time favorite Kitchen Parade recipe for Cucumber Dip with Feta, a quick mix of grated cucumber, cream cheese and feta. It's easy-easy to make and a lot like Greek tzatziki, so if you have a favorite tzatziki recipe, go for it. Or – glory – Trader Joe's carries tzatziki during the summer, another possibility.

The Right Bread

This is the trick, sourcing the right bread. Tastes vary of course but to my taste, by all rights, this special sandwich demands a special bread.

A roll not a slice, the better to keep all those interior layers intact.
A soft white roll not a sturdy wholegrain roll, the better shape itself around the fillings.
A broad and flattish roll not a towering bun.

The Bad News. There's no such bread in my usual supermarkets. The Good News. Good thing, because we'd have big dagwood-style sandwiches a lot more often!

So with any luck, you know of your own source for the right bread for a stacked-high dagwood sandwich. To make my own rolls, I'd start with my mom's Homemade Yeast Rolls but make separate rolls, pressed slightly flat and broad before the second rise.

UPDATE! This Savory Simple recipe for buffalo chicken sandwiches introduces a new Sara Lee bread which looks perfect, it's called Artesano Bakery Buns. It could well be easier to find!

You'll Love My Greek Chicken Dagwood Sandwiches If You ...

... love off-the-cuff hearty sandwiches full of summer freshness
... appreciate a well-balanced sandwich, a medley of tanginess and creaminess, a mix of protein and plant
... need a quick-quick supper

GREEK CHICKEN DAGWOOD SANDWICHES

• Soft sandwich rolls
• Cucumber Dip with Feta or something similar like tzatziki
• Freshly ground pepper (don't skip)
• Roasted red pepper, drained well and cut in strips
• Cooked chicken, sliced thin
• Ripe tomato, sliced or diced
• Spiced Pickled Red Onions or thinly sliced red onion
• Feta crumbles
• Arugula or another fresh green
• Toothpicks, for holding together

TOAST THE ROLLS Cut the rolls in half, brush the cut sides with a little olive oil, then toast just until golden in a skillet or on an electric griddle.

CUCUMBER DIP Spread Cucumber Dip generously on both sides, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Set aside the sandwich "lid" aka the top half of the roll.

RED PEPPER Spread red pepper strips across the bottom.

CHICKEN Spread the sliced chicken across the bottom, as thick as you like. If using more than a couple of layers, spread a little more Cucumber Dip mid-way through and sprinkle with pepper again.

REMAINING INGREDIENTS Keep building! Sprinkle or layer on tomato, onion, feta and arugula.

CAP IT! Put the "lid" on and secure the sandwich with a toothpick or two.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS Prep all the ingredients ahead of time but assemble the sandwiches just before serving.

ALANNA's TIPS Look for rolls that are wide and quite soft. I've never found anything quite right in either typical grocery stores or even traditional bakeries. In St. Louis, I now have two sources, an Afghan bakery in the City (sorry, not sure which one) which delivers fresh bread to Global Foods Market in Kirkwood every day and a wonderful Middle-Eastern / Mediterranean restaurant called "Troy" in Valley Park. In addition, I some times buy extra wood-baked pita breads at Olio in the City. All work great! Just be sure to use them on the same day. If the rolls are large, a skillet isn't big enough to handle more than one or two so I drag out the electric griddle, works like a charm! And the rolls I use are big! A half a sandwich is plenty, even a third for lunch, say. I love the wetness that comes from the Cucumber Dip, without it, the sandwich could end up on the dry side. Even my favorite Crazy-Smooth Crazy-Good Hummus turns out a too-dry sandwich, the more mayonnaise-textured Roasted Eggplant “Hummus" (Eggplant & Chickpea Dip & Spread) would be a better choice. Our garden tomatoes haven't come in yet so I've been using a Sam's Club product, Fresh Bruschetta, we keep this on hand all summer long and use it breakfast, lunch and supper! (This is NOT a sponsored message. We rely on this product and think you might like it as well.) What else could you add? Chopped artichokes. Chopped bacon. Avocado would be a little slippery but an Avocado Dip would work beautifully.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Sandwich (admittedly a total swag since the breads, especially, will vary so much, also remember that these sandwiches are big, a man might eat a whole one but the women half and even a third; assumes for each sandwich, 125g bread, 2 ounces chicken, 1 ounce roasted peppers and tomato, 1/2 ounce feta, 1/4 cup Cucumber Dip, 1/4 ounce arugula): 626 Calories; 18g Tot Fat; 10g Sat Fat; 74mg Cholesterol; 247mg Sodium; 78g Carb; 6g Fiber; 12g Sugar; 35g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 13 & PointsPlus 16 & SmartPoints 20 (half is plenty, remember, for smaller eaters!)