Chicken Bacon Pressed Picnic Sandwiches #SundayFunday

Welcome to #SundayFunday! Wendy from A Day In The Life on The Farm invited fellow bloggers to kick back, relax, and share something tasty and fun each weekend. "Sunday should be a Family Funday. Please join us in sharing recipes that will help you to enjoy your Sunday." If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join - we'd love to have you!

This month Wendy from A Day In The Life on The Farm prompted: "August is National Sandwich Month. It is also the perfect time for a picnic with family and friends. Share your favorite sandwich with us whether for a picnic or for eating in with a knife and fork." 

I have a love affair with sandwiches. The options are endless. I love the fun, tasty, unique, comforting, simple, saucy, reliable combinations you can put together to enjoy and share. BLTs have long been a "go-to" easy lunch or dinner for me, and I pretty much never get tired of the same sandwich (turkey, lettuce, tomato, pickles, a little mayo and mustard on honey wheat) over and over for work day lunches. Breakfast sandwiches on croissants, english muffins, or bagels... we could be here awhile. 

So I had to branch out a little and try something new to me! I thought I'd look for something picnic friendly that could easily be made in advance, and wrapped to go. When I was looking for ideas this sandwich popped up and I had to check it out. The idea of a raspberry preserve infused sauce sold me. And oh boy was I glad I tried this one out. The sweet and tangy combination of raspberry preserves with horseradish mustard was SO good. I ate more than my fair share of pieces of chicken swiped in leftover sauce. Yummm... It definitely makes this sandwich uniquely delicious! 

Get some ideas for summery sandwiches from the Sunday Funday crew today!

• Bombay Chapatti Sandwich by Sneha's Recipe
• Chicken Bacon Pressed Picnic Sandwiches by Making Miracles
• Club Sandwich by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Falafel Pita Sandwich by Mayuri's Jikoni
• French Dip Sandwich au Jus (Slow Cooker) by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Grilled Kielbasa Sandwiches by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Homemade Muffuletta by Food Lust People
• Is it, Or Isn't It, a Sandwich? by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Submarine Bites with Sub Sauce by Palatable Pastime
• Zucchini and Carrot Vegetable Sandwich by Cook with Renu

Chicken Bacon Pressed Picnic Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 1lb loaf of bread (White, French, Italian, etc. - use your favorite)

3-4 TBS horseradish mustard (or honey mustard)

1/4 cup raspberry preserves

6-8 oz sliced roasted / cooked chicken

5-6 thick cut pieces bacon, cooked to crispy (or your preferred "doneness")

2-3 slices Havarti cheese, cut in half to fit bread if needed

4 large romaine lettuce leaves, trimmed and chopped into 1 or 2" pieces

Directions

1. Combine the raspberry preserves with the horseradish mustard (to taste) in a bowl and whisk / stir until evenly blended.
2. Slice your bread in half and slather the bottom with a generous amount of the sauce (reserve a little to serve).
3. Layer the chicken, bacon, cheese, and lettuce over the sauce layer, then top with the remaining top half of the bread. Wrap in saran wrap and place on a baking sheet, place a second baking sheet on top and add books or something else that has some weight to it and store sandwich in the refrigerator overnight to allow everything to meld, and sandwich to "press".
4. Unwrap, slice into desired sized pieces and serve with additional sauce (if desired) when ready. 

Note - 1 day in advance is about the most you can make this in advance - the sauce may make the bread a little soggy the longer it sits. You can make it when ready to serve and just give it a good press before slicing and serving, it just won't meld together as much as it would if it gets the chance to sit overnight.

Recipe adapted from Host the Toast