Chicken Tea Sandwiches with Cranberries (English)
Tea sandwiches have many different fillings. What differentiates them from normal sandwiches is their small size and the fine nature of the filling. Most fillings are chopped into small pieces so that dainty bites can be taken without having to worry about a giant piece of tomato or chicken sliding out. Here is an authentic traditional English tea sandwich.
3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
¼ tsp. dried thyme
2 oz cranberries
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon
8 slices sourdough bread, buttered
4 leaves watercress
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).
Season chicken breasts with olive oil, salt and thyme. Bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool, rip cooked chicken into roughly 1½" pieces.
Halve the cranberries and smash in a bowl. This step is messy.
In a separate bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.
Combine the cranberries, chicken, mayonnaise mixture until incorporated.
Butter the sliced bread. Add the chicken mixture and a layer of watercress. Top with buttered bread.
Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and then cut the sandwiches into 4 squares/quarters, 3 rectangles/fingers, diagonally into 2 triangles/halves or cut-out circles.
Makes 4 sandwiches.
Cook's Notes:
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As you work, cover your assembled sandwiches with a clean tea towel or damp paper towel to keep them from drying out as you assemble the remaining sandwiches.
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To save time you can definitely use a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the chicken breasts at home.
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Tea sandwiches will keep for a few hours as long as you cover them so the bread doesn't dry out. Buttering the insides prevents the filling's moisture from making the bread soggy
Pictured are 4 typical types of tea sandwiches to serve for afternoon tea: