Destination
Rio de Janeiro
The story
Madrilenho (or madrileño, if you want to give it back to its Spanish immigrant roots) is one of São Paulo's classic boteco sandwiches: shredded roast chicken bound with a creamy sauce, melted mozzarella and a mountain of potato palha (shoestring potato), piled inside a hot French-style roll and pressed onto a chapa until the crust crackles. Sold at Rua Piauí's old-school bars, at Frangó and Bar Brasil, at the counter of every serious sanduicheria in the city.
Method
Place the chicken breasts in a saucepan of gently simmering salted stock (or water with a stock cube). Poach 15 minutes until cooked through. Cool slightly, then shred finely with two forks.
Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute to make a roux. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, stirring constantly, until you have a smooth, thick sauce (about 3 to 4 minutes). Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Off the heat, stir the catupiry into the béchamel until melted. Fold in the shredded chicken and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. The mixture should be creamy and hold its shape when spooned.
Split each roll horizontally, not all the way through, leaving a hinge. Warm briefly in a hot oven or on a hot pan if they've cooled.
Divide the chicken mixture between the rolls. Top each with a handful of grated mozzarella and a generous fistful of batata palha.
Heat a heavy pan (or sandwich press) over medium heat. Butter the outside of each roll. Place the sandwich in the pan and weight down with a smaller heavy pan or a foil-wrapped brick. Press 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the outside is deep gold and the cheese is melted.
Cut in half diagonally and serve immediately, ideally with a cold beer and some pickled peppers on the side.
Tips
- Poach, don't fry the chicken. Boteco versions use poached breast so the filling stays soft. Fried or roast chicken adds a browned flavour that fights the creamy sauce.
- Catupiry is the classic bind. If you can't find it, full-fat cream cheese works. Skip the béchamel entirely if you have plenty of catupiry: just heat it through with the chicken.
- Batata palha, not regular shoestring fries. Brazilian batata palha (sold in bags) is thinner and crisper than French potato sticks. Buy it from a Brazilian or Portuguese grocer.
- Press hard while it cooks. The heavy weight on top is what fuses the sandwich into a single unit and gives the crackly exterior. Don't skip it.
- Eat immediately. The palha loses its crunch as the sandwich sits, so cut and serve at the counter, straight from the chapa.
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