Fried Chicken Paneer Sandwich
This fried chicken paneer sandwich answers the question – what if a chicken parm sub and chicken tikka masala had a baby? This may be a question that nobody asked but I answered it anyways. And it should have been asked, because the sandwich came out AMAZING! The crispy chicken tastes so good with the Indian spice blend, and the paneer cheese works perfectly mixed into the chicken breading! At the last minute I grabbed some naan to use as the bread instead of a roll and it brought everything together!
The inspiration for this sandwich
I’m obsessed with chicken parm. I mean who isn’t? In my chicken parm group chat (yes I have a chicken parm group chat), my friend suggested the idea of doing an Indian twist on chicken parm. I remembered that I actually did something like that a while back, but it wasn’t perfect. It also was plated with rice, but he had the idea of serving it on naan bread like a chicken parm sub. I got really excited about the idea and ran to the store to grab some paneer.
Breading the chicken with paneer cheese
Just like chicken parm, this chicken is actually breaded with cheese. I crumbled up paneer and mixed it with the breadcrumbs. Paneer is a great cheese to do this with because it also doesn’t really melt the way parmesan does, and can get a great caramelized flavor when you fry it.
Fry the chicken
Pan fry it in some oil until it is brown and crispy on both sides.
Make the masala spiced tomato sauce
The sauce was a cross between tikka masala sauce and Italian tomato sauce. Onions and butter first, then garlic, ginger, chilis, tomato, coconut milk, and some spices.
Build the Fried Chicken Paneer Sandwich
Start with the naan and add the sauce. Then I added paneer, and also a little mozzarella to make the sandwich creamy since paneer doesn’t melt as well. Then the chicken! I sliced a little bit off the chicken cause it was too big for the sandwich.
Serve the Fried Chicken Paneer Sandwich
Finish the sandwich in a pan with butter. So good! Tuck the cilantro in after its cooked so it stays fresh.
So much flavor!
I double breaded the chicken, so it was super crispy in this sandwich. The mozzarella was perfect to add the gooeyness you dont get from paneer. The bit of curry and heat in the sauce brought everything together.
Twists on this fried chicken paneer sandwich
If you have never made a traditional chicken tikka masala, I love this recipe! I also refer to it sometimes when I am working on recipes like this one.
You could do this with frozen chicken cutlets and store bought tikka masala sauce and it would be super easy and almost just as good!
If you are looking for more fun chicken parm twists, check out my chicken parm scotch eggs, double chicken parm with giardiniera, or mini chicken parm sliders with pasta buns!
Fried Chicken Paneer Sandwich
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion diced
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 inches ginger minced
- 14 ounces canned crushed tomato
- 7 ounces canned coconut milk (half a can)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- salt and pepper
Chicken
- 1 large chicken breast
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup crumbled paneer cheese
- salt and pepper
- oil for frying
Sandwich
- 2 pieces naan bread
- 1/2 cup crumbled paneer cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- cilantro
- butter
Instructions
Make the sauce
- Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the onions. Cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes to soften and brown on the edges
- Add in the jalapeno, garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer for a half hour on low heat.
Make the chicken
- Split the chicken bread in half the flat way so you have 2 thinner pieces of chicken. One by one, place between two pieces of parchment paper and pound gently to flatten it out.
- Put the flour in one bowl, beat the eggs into another, and stir together the breadcrumbs and paneer in a third. Season each bowl with salt and pepper, and also season the chicken breasts.
- Dip the chicken into the first bowl and shake off the excess flour. Then the second bowl with the eggs, and finally into the breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs to adhere to the meat. Dip it back into the eggs, and repeat with the breadcrumbs for a thicker crust.
- put about 1/2 inch of oil in a wide frying pan over medium high heat. Fry the chicken pieces about 3 minutes on each side to brown and cook through. place on a wire rack to dry.
Make the sandwich
- Warm the naan bread in a dry frying pan on both sides to soften.
- Spread some sauce on the bread, then add both cheeses. Add the piece of chicken and fold it over, making sure there is enough sauce and cheese on the top and bottom of the chicken.
- Add some butter to the frying pan and add the sandwich. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes covered to allow the cheese to melt and the bread to get crispy.
- Before eating, open the sandwich and toss in some cilantro. Serve.
Looks delicious, but I’m having a hard time finding paneer. Can you recommend a good substitute?
For this recipe specifically I would use queso blanco or halloumi. It might be a little harder to crumble but it will work great in the breading for the chicken. You could use a food processor to break it down.
Substituted halloumi for paneer since that’s what they had at the store near me- it was AMAZING! Definitely a recipe to make again. Thanks!!