Rookie Pan
← All recipes
Colombia, Americas · Patacones (Crispy Smashed Green Plantains)

Patacón Smash Sandwich with Garlic Chicken and Pink Sauce

Two big smashed, fried plantain discs replace the bread around garlic chicken, melted cheese and Colombian pink sauce: a crunchy, gluten-free street sandwich.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time45 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsHot oil: keep children away from the stove, never leave the pan unattended, and never put water on burning oil; cover the pan with a lid and turn off the heat.

Method

  1. Butterfly the thick parts of the chicken thighs so they are an even 1 cm thick, then rub with grated garlic, cumin and half the salt and set aside. Peel the plantains and cut each one in half crosswise to get 2 big chunks; these will become the top and bottom of the sandwich.

    Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs 240 gGarlic cloves 2Ground cumin ½ tspSalt ½ tspLarge green plantains 2

  2. For the pink sauce (salsa rosada), mix the mayonnaise, ketchup and lime juice.

    Add in this stepMayonnaise 3 tbspKetchup 2 tbspLime ½

  3. Pour the oil 2 cm deep into a 22 cm deep pan and heat over medium heat to about 160 °C. Fry the plantain chunks in batches for , rolling them around; big chunks take a little longer. When a knife slides easily into the centre, lift them out and take the pan off the heat.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil for frying 500 ml

    medium heat

  4. Stand each chunk on a cut end between sheets of baking paper and press down slowly with the base of a heavy pan into a large disc about 12 cm across and 1 cm thick. If it splits, push it back together with your fingers and press again.

  5. Heat the oil over medium-high heat to about 180 °C and fry the discs one or two at a time for , until golden and crisp. Drain and sprinkle with the remaining salt.

    Add in this stepSalt ½ tsp

    medium-high heat

  6. Heat the chicken oil in a 24 cm frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken for , turning once, until cooked through (75 °C at the thickest point, no pink inside). Lay the cheese on top for the last minute and cover with a lid to melt it.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil (for the chicken) 1 tbspCheese slices (mozzarella or white cheddar) 2

    medium-high heat

  7. Spread pink sauce on one patacón, then layer lettuce, sliced tomato and the cheesy chicken. Spread sauce on a second patacón, press it on top, cut in half and serve straight away.

    Add in this stepRomaine lettuce leaves 2Tomato 1

Cook's tip

Large, straight plantains give the widest discs. Press slowly with your body weight rather than one hard bang, and they crack less. Thinly sliced steak or avocado slices are great instead of chicken.

Cooking it at camp

Marinate the chicken at home and carry it in a cooler at 5 °C or below, along with the ready-mixed sauce. At the campsite, fry the plantain in one heavy pan, pour off most of the oil and cook the chicken in the same pan to save washing up.