Toasted chicken, bacon and avocado sandwich

Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Sandwiches

(Serves 4)

We preferred the bread toasted; you can do this while the bacon's in the pan. If you can't find thin chicken cutlets, buy 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves that are on the small side; cut them in half horizontally.

Serve with baked sweet potato fries.

Ingredients

4 slices thick-cut bacon

230g boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (may substitute 2 chicken breast halves; see headnote)

Kosher salt

200g (half a can) no-salt-added chickpeas

Leaves from 2 stems fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, plus a few sprigs for garnish

1 ripe avocado

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 lime

2 tomatoes

4 slices whole-grain or multigrain country-style bread (155g total)

Method

Line a plate with paper towels. Cut each bacon slice crosswise in half. Arrange in a large nonstick skillet.

Cook over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until crisped. Drain on the plate.

Season the chicken lightly with salt and immediately place in the same pan; cook (medium heat) for about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then place in a mixing bowl. Coarsely chop the parsley or cilantro leaves; add to the bowl. Peel, pit the avocado; add to the same bowl, along with the cumin, a pinch each of the salt and crushed red pepper flakes, and the juice of the lime half.

Use a potato masher or large fork to mash the mixture into a chunky paste.

Taste, and add more salt and/or crushed red pepper flakes, as needed.

Cut the tomatoes into 0.5cm slices, and season them lightly with salt.

Let them sit for 5 minutes, then begin to build the sandwiches: Spread equal amounts of the avocado-chickpea mash on each piece of bread, then a few tomato slices.

Next, the bacon and then the chicken.

Top with parsley or cilantro sprigs.