Chicken Cubana in Pita bread

A very simple gastronomical sandwich, which was inspired by the Cuban sandwiches in the movie Chef( one of my favourite movies as it’s all about food and food dream). I have never eaten a Cuban sandwich but just seeing Jon Fraveau’s character make it with so much passion and then eat it with even more yearning made me want to try it. I ofcourse couldn’t have waited  to go to USA to eat a good authentic cubana sandwich, so I attempted one at home.

 Cuban sandwich is usually made with braised pork shoulder ham but I made it by cooking similarly marinated chicken in a pan and instead of a 6 inch sub I made it with store purchased Pita bread. (for 2 sandwiches)

What goes in:

1. 250 gm Chicken boneless ( I had chicken on bone available and that’s what you see in the pics)
2. Sweetlime Juice(Mausambi juice) or orange Juice- 1 cup
3. Salt and pepper
4. 1/2 Lime juice
5. Garlic - 5 cloves
6. Onion - 1 medium
7. Bay leaf - 1
8. Oil
9. Cumin powder 1 teaspoon
10. mustard Sauce and pickles ( you could use Mustard Relish instead which is nothing but mustard sauce and chopped pickles- Neo’s mustard relish is inexpensive and very versatile. Buy here)
11. Cheddar Cheese block

What you need to do:

1. Marinade the chicken for 30 mins in sweetlime/orange juice, lime juice, salt and pepper
2. Crush the garlic with your hand and chop the onions finely
3. In a pan, put some oil and add bay leaf, cumin powder followed by crushed garlic and onions
4. Add the chicken with the whole of the marinade and reduce the juice, add some more salt and pepper at the end as per your taste. Cook till the chicken starts coming of the bone and the juice is reduced completely. 
    
5. Shred the chicken
6. On a pita bread, spread mustard sauce and pickle on one half(or mustard relish) , on the other half add the shredded chicken
7. Make Cheddar cheese slices from the cheddar cheese slab and put it on top of he chicken
8. On a sandwich grill or flat pan , spread butter and grill the pita sandwich and cook till the sandwich becomes Golden brown from top and the cheddar cheese melts away. 

Cook away my peeps and enjoy the juiciest home made Cuban sandwiches with your friends and family