Excerpted from ‘Salt Hank’ by Henry Laporte. Copyright © by Salt Hank, LLC. Photography Copyright © 2024 by Ed Anderson. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Here’s where I first tested the waters with compound butter on sandwiches, and to this day, I think it’s one of the best food hacks ever created. A common sandwich like this comes across as pretty unassuming, but the garlicky, fatty, spicy baguette holding it all together adds more flavor than any of the other ingredients and makes for the best chicken parm sandwich you’ve ever had. This same compound butter applied to pretty much any Italian sandwich will hit every single time. There will be leftover sauce with this recipe—you can reserve that for a spicy rigatoni or homemade pizza.

SERVES: 2; PREP TIME: 15 MIN; COOK TIME: 50 MIN; TOTAL TIME: 1 HR 5 MIN

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ½ white onion, diced
• 15 Calabrian chilis, minced
• 6 garlic cloves, divided
• 1 sprig fresh basil plus 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, divided
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 2 cups vodka (optional)
• 1 (28-ounce) can pureed tomatoes
• 2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• ½  cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 sourdough or Italian baguette
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 to 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs whisked with 1 tablespoon water
• 1 ½ cups panko
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 (8-ounce) ball buffalo mozzarella, sliced
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

METHOD:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, 10 of the minced Calabrian chilis (i.e., 2/3 of the minced amount), 3 cloves of thinly sliced garlic, and the sprig of basil. Season with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.

(This next step is optional and doesn’t really change the flavor or final outcome of the dish, but it’s fun and makes you look cool.) Kill the heat and add your vodka to the skillet. Set it on fire with a long lighter or by shaking the pan back and forth if over a gas burner.

Let the vodka completely burn off, bring the pan back up to medium heat, then stir in the tomato puree.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and reduce, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the cream, mix again, and reduce until slightly thickened, for another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

In a medium bowl, mix the butter with the chopped parsley, the remaining 3 garlic cloves, minced, the remaining Calabrian chilis, and big pinches of salt and freshly ground pepper. Spread thick layers of your compound butter on both halves of your baguette and place in the oven butter side up until melted and toasted, 5 to 7 minutes.

Put your chicken breasts between two layers of parchment paper and tenderize until the entire breast is 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Fill a deep skillet up with 1/2 inch of vegetable oil and heat for 10 minutes over medium heat.

Put your flour, egg wash, and the panko mixed with the Cajun seasoning into separate shallow bowls for dredging. Batter the chicken first in flour, then egg wash, then seasoned panko.

Fry the chicken until browned and cooked through, a total of 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through and basting exposed areas with oil. Place on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Spread a thick layer of your vodka sauce and slices of mozzarella on top of the chicken. Place under the broiler until the mozzarella starts to bubble and turn golden brown.

To build your sandwich, on one side of your compound butter toast, layer the vodka sauce, then your broiled chicken and cheese. Add the fresh basil leaves, along with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and finally some grated Parmesan. Top with the other compound butter toast and enjoy.