There’s something truly special about the simplicity of a classic chicken sandwich, especially the kind that evokes memories of old Calcutta, Park Street and the iconic Coffee House. We recently posted a video about this humble, no-frills chicken sandwich on Instagram, and it struck a chord with many, especially those in their 40s and above who remember it fondly from their childhood.
classic chicken sandwich with tea
The Classic Chicken Sandwich: A Timeless Calcutta Delight
This sandwich is all about the basics: chicken cooked with whole spices, shredded beautifully and seasoned with just salt and pepper. There’s no mayonnaise, no celery – just pure, simple flavours. The secret to its deliciousness lies in the generous amount of butter slathered on soft, fresh white bread. The butter brings out the best in the shredded chicken, making the sandwich irresistible and ready to eat.
I recall this as one of my favourite tiffins during my school days. Sometimes, a plate of these sandwiches would be waiting for me on the dining table when I came back from tuition. If you haven’t tried this sandwich before, I highly recommend giving it a try. While doing our series on ‘Jol-Khabar’, Anindya and I were contemplating whether chicken sandwich should be part of this series or not. What we did not realise was the barrage of memories that came in as soon as we posted the video.
Memories of Park Street and Beyond
While I don’t have too many memories of the Park Street chicken sandwich, I do remember having it about two decades ago at Olypub and twice at the legendary Coffee House at College Street. Everyone talks about the Coffee House chicken sandwich – it’s classic, with no mayonnaise, just plain chicken and lots of butter. After all, butter makes everything better, doesn’t it?
Growing up in Port Blair, we didn’t have access to mayonnaise or many other packaged foods that were regular on the mainland (yes, we called the rest of India the mainland). My mother made mayonnaise and ketchup at home, skills she learned from my well-travelled pishi (aunt), an army wife. So, we often ate this simple chicken sandwich, and we loved it.
kolkata style classic chicken sandwich
Food Memories from Friends
Kalyan Karmakar, from Mumbai, known as The Finely Chopped shared his childhood sandwich memories: “I grew up on sandwiches – chicken, cheese, jam, boiled egg. Ham and salami were special treats when my dad was around, and later when I moved to Bombay, it would always be butter and black pepper (though not with jam). I think mayo was more of an American thing. In England, it was just butter. Our sandwiches were cut into triangles, crusts removed, like yours. It’s hard to think of doing that in today’s zero-waste world. We used commercial white bread, like Modern in Kolkata, with thinner slices. The chicken was boiled with just some salt, and no spices. I still make them, though I feel guilty slathering so much butter.”
Upasana from Kolkata also remembered having this type of chicken sandwich which is her favourite. Nowadays you get mostly the taste of mayonnaise in the sandwich. Chaman has a heartfelt memory: “A piece of my heart. Too nostalgic. No mayo, just good ole butter, salt, and pepper. In the tea gardens where I grew up, they were cut in triangles. Tea meant tomato sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, egg and chicken for the non-vegetarians.”
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Classic Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 500 gms boneless chicken
- 2 no bayleaf
- 4 nos green cardamoms
- 5 nos cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 15 nos black peppercorn
- 1 large onion quartered
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- salt to taste
- butter
- white bread
Instructions
- Take boneless chicken breasts and boil in water with the whole spices, onions and cloves.
- Once the chicken has boiled (takes about 7-8 mins, depending on the size of the chicken pieces), take them out and let them cool down.
- You can strain the water and use it as chicken stock for soups. As for the onions and garlic, use them in any food, don’t throw them away.
- Using your fingers, shred the chicken. You can use a fork as well but I find it easier to work with my fingers.
- Toss the shredded chicken with salt and pepper. Don’t add too much salt since there is salt in the butter. Now cut out the crust of the bread slices (use them for making bread crumbs) and slather soft salted butter.
- Now top with a generous amount of shredded chicken and cover with another bread slice (also with butter). Press.
- Cut the sandwiches in halves and serve immediately.
- In case you want to serve later, you can store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator or alternatively, cover the bread with wet towels to keep the bread soft for a longer period of time.
Pikturenama is a blog about our travel and food escapades along with stories to share through photography. 
