It was not too long ago when my colleagues and I ventured out to try a new restaurant, only due to the fact that someone did a writeup on them in regards to one of their sandwiches. Â The place was called Blue Star Cafe, and is located on the east side of Milwaukee. The three of us ordered sandwiches, and I decided on getting their chicken sandwich with green sauce. Not really knowing what I was going to get, beyond chicken on bread, I was completely blown away by the flavors, tenderness of the chicken, and their bread. It was known as Somali food, and I was down with it. After recognizing all of the awesome flavors, I decided to take a stab at making my own, and boy was it ever good.
When I was eating this sandwich, it really took me to a similar sandwich, the Banh Mi, a sandwich that is packed with tender meat, fresh herbs, and seasoning.
My kids devoured this sandwich and were wanting more. That’s always a good sign, of great food in my book, plus it is super simple to make.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tbsp lemon pepper
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 whole potato, peeled, cooked, and cubed
- 2 whole carrots, peeled, cut into matchsticks
- 1 whole onion, cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 head lettuce, shredded
- 1 whole tomato, thinly sliced
- 1 serrano chili, thinly sliced, optional
- fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Thin, soft French baguettes
Start by adding the chicken thighs to a slow cooker. You can do this in the oven if you desire, but during a busy work week, I find that throwing these in a slow cooker was the real trick.
Toss with the garlic, salt, cumin, cinnamon, lemon pepper, chicken bouillon, and allspice. Drizzle with some olive oil, add in the water, and cook on low for 8 hours.
Once cooked, pull apart with a fork, and remain cooking until it gets folded into the vegetable mix.
To a large skillet, drizzle in some olive oil, then add in the onions, cubed potato, and carrots. Cook just until slightly tender, then fold in the chicken mixture. Gently stir, and cook on low heat.
Make the curry mayonnaise for the sauce. Add the mayo and curry powder to a bowl, and stir to combine. Â Now let’s make the sandwiches!
Take one of your French baguettes, and slice lengthwise. Slather on the curry mayonnaise on both sides. Top with the chicken suqaar mixture, then add in the chilies, lettuce, tomatoes, and cilantro. Â Fold, give a good push down. Open wide and dig in.
There’s something to be said about this African chicken sandwich. It’s ultra tender chicken, that is just seasoned perfectly really balances out with the curry mayonnaise, and fresh herbs and chilies. I’m really glad my colleagues turned me onto the Blue Star Cafe, as without going there, I would have no idea about this type of African cuisine. Give this one a try, I’m sure you will love it!
African Style Chicken Sandwich - Chicken Suqaar
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tbsp lemon pepper
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 whole potato peeled, cooked, and cubed
- 2 whole carrots peeled, cut into matchsticks
- 1 whole onion cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 head lettuce shredded
- 1 whole tomato thinly sliced
- 1 serrano chili thinly sliced, optional
- fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Thin soft French baguettes
Instructions
- Start by adding the chicken thighs to a slow cooker. You can do this in the oven if you desire, but during a busy work week, I find that throwing these in a slow cooker was the real trick.
- Toss with the garlic, salt, cumin, cinnamon, lemon pepper, chicken bouillon, and allspice. Drizzle with some olive oil, add in the water, and cook on low for 8 hours.
- Once cooked, pull apart with a fork, and remain cooking until it gets folded into the vegetable mix.
- To a large skillet, drizzle in some olive oil, then add in the onions, cubed potato, and carrots. Cook just until slightly tender, then fold in the chicken mixture. Gently stir, and cook on low heat.
- Make the curry mayonnaise for the sauce. Add the mayo and curry powder to a bowl, and stir to combine. Now let’s make the sandwiches!
- Take one of your French baguettes, and slice lengthwise. Slather on the curry mayonnaise on both sides. Top with the chicken suqaar mixture, then add in the chilies, lettuce, tomatoes, and cilantro. Fold, give a good push down. Open wide and dig in.