One Great Sandwich: Miceli's Chicken Focaccia

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jan 16, 2008 5:00PM

The first time we ate the chicken focaccia sandwich from Miceli's Deli and Food Mart in the Heart of Italy neighborhood, the weather was markedly different. Specifically, it was about seventy degrees warmer and we didn't appreciate it as much. Focaccia sandwiches are much more agreeable in cold weather, don't you think? There's something about all those heavy ingredients and flavors that simply cry out for consumption when the mercury takes a nosedive.

Miceli's chicken focaccia sandwich is a man-sized sammich that had us tapping into our inner Tony Joe White and murmuring "chomp" like we were auditioning for a McRib commercial. It's perfectly grilled chicken breast slathered in pesto, roasted red bell peppers, provolone and tomatoes. The focaccia bread in brushed in basil-infused olive oil, then the whole sandwich is baked, not grilled like we thought when we profiled Miceli's last June. Bite into the sandwich and the provolone defies physics as it stretches and stretches. Pair it with the pasta fagioli (every Italian deli worth its salt makes one) and you could brave the most extreme cold for a couple minutes without a coat. Your full belly will act as the ultimate layer.

Miceli's Deli is located at 2448 S. Oakley.