Home-made Flat Bread Sandwich With Thai Roast Chicken, Fresh Herb Salad and Caramelized Red Onion

This is picnic or party food and the quantities given make 10 to 12 sandwiches. There is preparation involved but it's not fiddly, can all be done in advance and all the food can be kept for a while if not used on the day. We've tried different recipes for the flat bread and this one works the best. The chicken recipe can be tweaked as you wish if you want more spice or less. The onion can be changed too with more or less sugar and vinegar. The salad is whatever you want it to be. Add tomato or coleslaw or whatever you want. Add some chilli sauce. Have fun!

Flat Bread

1 packet (or 1 tbsp) active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon olive oil

Thai Roast Chicken

6 boneless chicken thighs (skin on if possible)

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp of black peppercorns

1 bunch of coriander/cilantro roots

1 tbsp of fish sauce

1 tbsp vegetable oil (if marinade too dry)

1 pinch of sea salt

Caramelized Red Onion

2 large red onions

2 tbsp olive oil

1 pinch of sea salt

2 tbsp soft brown sugar

1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Fresh Herb Salad

1 small salad lettuce

Mixed fresh herb leaves (I used basil, Vietnamese mint and coriander/cilantro)

Put the garlic, peppercorns, coriander/cilantro roots and fish sauce in a blender and blitz (add oil if too dry). Use the mixture to marinade the chicken thighs for at least an hour (longer is better for flavour).

Sprinkle the thighs with sea salt and then roast the thighs (skin-side up) in a baking tray at 190°C/370°F for 75 minutes or until the skin is golden and crispy. When they have rested and cooled, slice into long, thin crispy pieces.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat.

Add the onions with a generous pinch of salt and cook slowly for around 30-40 mins. Stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking or burning until they become soft and caramelized. If your onions do start to catch, add a splash of water to the pan and mix well.

Add the sugar and vinegar to give them that sweet, slightly sharp chutney taste. Keep cooking on a low heat for another 5 mins, stirring occasionally until the mix is sticky, the sugar has dissolved and the vinegar has reduced

Leave to cool or use while still a little warm.

Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a dough hook; stir to blend. Let the yeast stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the salt. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough gathers into a ball; this should take about 4 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the dough down, divide it into 10 or 12 pieces, and gather each piece into a ball; keeping all of them lightly floured and covered while you work. Allow the balls of dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes so they will be easier to roll out.

Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a circle that is about 8 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Cover the disks as you roll them out, but do not stack them up.

Dry fry the bread rounds one at a time for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until the bread is just starting to blister. Remove the bread and place on a rack to cool. Wrap the breads in a large tea towel to keep them soft if you're not eating them immediately.

Alternatively, buy some good quality pita bread or wraps…

Combine the washed and shredded lettuce leaves and herbs in a bowl and toss.

Pick up a flat bread, stuff with your chosen combination of the fillings. Repeat. Eat. Enjoy.