CHICKEN AND ALMOND SANDWICH

Ingredients

• 1 cup cold boiled chicken (Finely chopped. Use leftover or pre-cooked chicken that has been fully cooled.)
• 1 cup almonds (Finely chopped. Blanched almonds work well but raw almonds are fine too.)
• 2 tablespoons cream (Use just enough to moisten the filling so it holds together without becoming wet. The original says 'a little cream' — start with 1 tablespoon and add more as needed.)
• 0.25 teaspoon salt (Add to taste. Start with a small pinch and adjust as needed.)
• 0.25 teaspoon paprika (Sweet or mild paprika. Adds gentle warmth and a touch of colour to the filling.)
• 8 thin slices entire wheat bread (Whole wheat bread sliced as thinly as possible. A standard loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread works perfectly.)
• 4 sprigs parsley (Fresh flat-leaf or curly parsley for garnish.)
• 4 whole olive (One olive per sandwich for garnish. Green or black olives both work.)

Instructions

1. 1Take 1 cup of cold boiled chicken and place it on a clean chopping board. Using a sharp chef's knife, chop the chicken as finely as you can until it resembles a coarse mince with no large chunks remaining. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Tip: If your chicken is in large pieces, break them apart by hand first to make chopping easier.
2. 2Measure 1 cup of almonds and place them on the chopping board. Using the same sharp knife, chop the almonds finely until they are roughly the same size as the chopped chicken pieces. Be careful not to over-chop into a powder — you want small pieces that still have a little texture and crunch. Add the chopped almonds to the bowl with the chicken.
3. 3Add 1 tablespoon of cream to the bowl containing the chopped chicken and almonds. Using a fork or spoon, stir and fold the mixture together. The goal is a filling that just holds its shape — not dry and crumbly, and not wet or runny. If the mixture still seems dry, add a second tablespoon of cream and stir again. Add only as much cream as you need to bring the mixture together.
4. 4Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of paprika to the chicken and almond mixture. Stir well to distribute the seasoning evenly throughout the filling. Taste the mixture and adjust if needed — add a little more salt if it tastes flat, or a pinch more paprika if you'd like a slightly more noticeable warmth.
5. 5Lay out 8 thin slices of whole wheat bread on a clean flat surface. Divide the chicken and almond filling evenly among 4 of the bread slices, spreading it all the way to the edges so every bite has filling. Place the remaining 4 slices of bread on top and press down gently. If desired, use a sharp knife to trim the crusts for a neater presentation, then cut each sandwich in half diagonally to create two triangles.
6. 6Arrange the sandwiches on a serving plate or individual plates. Place a sprig of fresh parsley beside or on top of each sandwich for a fresh, green garnish. Add one whole olive alongside each sandwich as a final accent. Serve immediately.