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    How to Make a Real Food Club Sandwich

    Published: Jun 26, 2020 · Modified: Jun 10, 2023 by Cheryl Whyte · Leave a Comment

    65 shares
    JUMP TO RECIPE PRINT RECIPE

    This Club Sandwich has had a healthy makeover for your guilt-free pleasure. What’s the secret? Fresh, wholesome, minimally processed ingredients, like juicy chicken, crispy bacon, runny eggs, ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, fresh lettuce all sitting between two slices of wholegrain bread. 

    club sandwich cut in half with each half stacked one on top of the other this RECIPE

    A Club Sandwich is my top menu choice when it comes to a British pub lunch. But unfortunately, a Club Sandwich can be loaded with unhealthy fats and excess salt. And, not forgetting the highly processed white bread and sugar-filled condiments. Oh and most likely, the massive pile of fries on the side (yes, I would almost certainly order the chips!).

    But, there is hope. This blog is all about creating healthier versions of foodie favourites, and this is one pub lunch that I needed to make with real food ingredients. 

    club sandwich

    A Healthier Club Sandwich

    When it comes to making healthier versions of the recipes you enjoy, heck, I’d go as far as saying, recipes you can’t live without, it’s essential to take a look at each of the ingredients. Often, by making some simple swaps, you can turn most recipes that are typically highly processed into nutritious meals. Here’s how to tackle a club sandwich.

    Use Healthy Fats

    What’s fantastic about home-cooked food, is that you have complete control over the type of fats you use. When griddling (or frying, or baking) your chicken, use a small amount of healthy fat, like extra virgin olive oil and AVOID unhealthy, processed, fats like vegetable oils and your body will thank you.

    Choose Complex Carbohydrates

    Choosing a wholemeal, wholegrain or multigrain bread instead of white bread is an important consideration. Wholegrain bread is a complex carbohydrate, that is high in fibre as well as other nutrients and minerals. High fibre foods take longer to digest and will help you to stay fuller for longer.

    Mindfully Select Your Meat and Eggs

    Meat and eggs are excellent sources of high-quality protein. When it comes to your buying choices, my advice is to buy locally wherever possible and the best quality you can afford. That’s all any of us can do, right?!

    As for bacon, this is where things get a little more tricky. Bacon is highly processed. It is smoked, cured with sugar, salt or chemical preservatives. Bacon that can be considered real food is hard to find in the UK. If like me, you’re not quite ready to give it up completely, Artisan Finnebrogue Naked Bacon is probably our best option when buying from UK Supermarkets. This brand has a nitrate-free, grass-fed, sugar-free option.

    Invest In Real Food Condiments Made with Unprocessed Ingredients

    The off the shelf versions of Mayonnaise and Ketchup tend to have large quantities of sugar and unhealthy fats. But, I understand that you can’t be making homemade versions of this stuff every time you want to fill a sandwich. I mean, who’s got the time? I get it!

    Thankfully, some great real food products are becoming available here in the UK. Check out the Hunter and Gather Avocado Oil Mayonnaise and Dr Will’s Tomato Ketchup which is sweetened with dates.

    Use a Mature Cheese and Grate It!

    By using a sharp cheese (like a mature cheddar), you won’t need as much to get that cheesy hit of flavour. Will you get that infamous cheese pull? Well, no! But that’s not what a club sandwich is all about. It’s more about balance amongst the combination of flavours, and because of that, a sharp cheddar works perfectly.

    Also, I finely grate my cheese because, with the smallest amount, you can get excellent coverage.

    Turn Your Club Sandwich into a Complete Meal with Healthy Sides

    On its own, this club sandwich cannot be considered a complete meal, because it just doesn’t contain enough vegetables. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve crammed a tasty variety of veggies in here. But, I would still recommend you serve it up with a portion of oven-baked mixed vegetable fries (cooked with a light coating of extra virgin olive oil) or a large salad with a variety of wholesome veggies.

    How to Make a Real Food Club Sandwich – Step-By-Step Recipe Photos

    club sandwich ingredients
    Collect and prepare your ingredients
    8 slices of raw streaky bacon on a baking sheet
    Add bacon to a baking tray…
    8 slices of cooked crispy streaky bacon on a baking sheet
    …and bake for 15 minutes until crispy.
    Seasoned raw butterflied chicken breasts
    Butterfly the chicken breasts so that they cook evenly. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
    Two butterflied cooked chicken breasts on a griddle plate
    Cook the chicken on a griddle pan or in a frying pan. 6 minutes on each side should do it.
    If you prefer, bake your chicken in the oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on size, whatever suits you. I love using my griddle plate because those scorch lines are EVERYTHING! But, they don’t just look pretty, they add bags of flavour.
    Toasted wholemeal bread
    Toast your bread. Don’t neglect to do this! It adds so much flavour as opposed to a slice of soft bread! It will go too soggy and fall apart as you load the sandwich.
    Assembling a club sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers
    Once your chicken and bacon is ready, start building your sandwich. Add tomato ketchup to one slice of the bread, and mayo to the other. Then pile up the lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber on one side – as much as you can physically fit on without the whole thing collapsing.
    Assembling a club sandwich with bacon, chicken and cheese
    Now add some grated cheese to the top (so it sticks to the ketchup) and pile the bacon and chicken on top of the salad layer.
    Assembling a club sandwich with fried eggs
    Finally, fry an egg and balance on top. Pop the lid on and devour! My question to you is, can you get your mouth around it? Er, I don’t think so! 😂

    Portion Sizes

    As you can see the portion size of just one sandwich ends up being pretty substantial. Now, I LOVE food, and big portions make me happy, but I can honestly share this sandwich with someone else and still feel satisfied, especially if you’re serving it up with a side of veggies.

    Another way to manage the portion size is to use one slice of bread and have an open-top sandwich. You could also use half a chicken breast per sandwich. Make it work for you and your dietary needs. Just do you!

    Recipe

    stacked club sandwich

    How to Make a Real Food Club Sandwich

    Author: Cheryl Whyte
    This Club Sandwich has had a healthy makeover for your guilt-free pleasure. What's the secret? Fresh, wholesome, minimally processed ingredients, like juicy chicken, crispy bacon, runny eggs, ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, fresh lettuce all sitting between two slices of wholegrain bread. 

    If you love this recipe, rate it with 5 stars below!

    5 from 4 votes
    PRINT PIN RATE
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Assembly Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 Sandwiches
    Calories: 764kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Griddle Pan or Frying Pan, Baking Tray & Spatula
    • Sharp Knife, Tablespoon, Spatula.

    Ingredients
     

    • 4 Slices Streaky Bacon
    • 2 Chicken Breasts, Butterflied
    • 2 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Divided
    • ½ tsp Sea Salt
    • ¼ teaspoon Pepper
    • 4 Slices Wholegrain Bread
    • 1 tbsp Mayonnaise, Real Food Compliant* (see notes)
    • 1 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup, Real Food Compliant* (see notes)
    • Handful Lettuce Leaves
    • 2 Tomatoes, Or handful of cherry tomatoes
    • 2 tbsp Grated Mature (Sharp) Cheddar Cheese
    • 2 Eggs

    Instructions
     

    • Grab your equipment and prepare your ingredients. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 5/ 375°F/ 190°C.
    • Cover a baking tray with foil or greaseproof (parchment) paper, add the bacon and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, turning once after 10 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, butterfly the chicken, brush lightly with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Heat the griddle pan on medium-high heat, then cook the chicken for about 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
    • Once the bacon and chicken are cooked, put to one side, let it rest and start to build your sandwich. First, toast the bread. Then, spread mayo on the bottom slice of toast and ketchup on the top half. Pile salad up on the bottom slice of bread and cheese on the top slice.
    • Now is the perfect time to fry your egg. Use the same pan you used to cook the chicken, add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and fry the egg for about 5 minutes on medium heat until the egg white sets and the yolk is runny.
    • Pile the bacon, chicken and the egg onto the bottom slice of toast and then place the lid on top. Serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    *Real Food Compliant Meaning:
    Real Food Compliant Condiments are those made from unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients. They are free from refined sugars and made using natural sugars like dates or honey. They do not contain unhealthy fats, like vegetable oil and sunflower oil, and use healthy fats instead like olive oil, avocado and ghee. The ingredients listed on the label will be recognisable and not made from human-made chemical ingredients. If you are unsure, feel free to drop a note in the comment section, I am happy to help.

    Nutrition Information (Per Serving)

    Calories: 764kcal (38%) | Carbohydrates: 32g (11%) | Protein: 70g (140%) | Fat: 39g (60%) | Saturated Fat: 12g (75%) | Cholesterol: 347mg (116%) | Sodium: 1601mg (70%) | Fiber: 5g (21%) | Sugar: 8g (9%)

    Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional information is estimated using an online nutrition calculator. For accuracy, we recommend you calculate using the exact ingredients and brands you used.

    Course | Lunch
    Cuisine | American
    Keyword | club sandwich, healthy sandwiches, sandwiches
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Share a photo and tag @therealfoodgeek so I can see all your delicious creations!


    If you get the chance to give this Real Food Club Sandwich recipe a try, drop me a note in the comment section and provide a star rating. I’d love to know what you think!

    For more real food recipe ideas, you can check out the recipe page. Or, come on over and say hi on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. I look forward to seeing you there! 👋

    You can also stay up to date with new posts and healthy real food recipes by subscribing to The Real Food Geek mailing list below.

    Thank you so much for reading.


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    Club sandwich on white crumpled parchment paper

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    Hey, I'm Cheryl, The Real Food Geek! I'm all about delicious and nutritious recipes fueled by my love for food, weight loss journey, and expertise as a certified culinary medicine coach. Let's make healthy eating enjoyable by returning to basics in the kitchen and embracing the joy of real food.

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    65 shares
    Club sandwich
    Club sandwich on white crumpled parchment paper
    Club sandwich on white crumpled parchment paper
    Club sandwich on white crumpled parchment paper
    Club sandwich on white crumpled parchment paper