- American
- Lunch
- Main
- High-Protein
- Kid-Friendly
Tom-E-Toes Chicken Pizza Crust Club Sandwich
Inspired by the award-winning Chicken Pizza Crust Club Sandwich from Tom-e-toes in Wilton, CT, this recreation captures the texture and flavor of a late-90s pizza shop classic. A thin, crisp pizza crust is brushed with a little bacon fat, baked with mozzarella and chopped bacon, then topped with warm sliced oven-roasted chicken. After a brief rest, it gets the classic club treatment: mayonnaise, shredded iceberg lettuce, and thin tomato slices. Cut into quarters and eaten more like a sandwich than a pizza, it’s crisp, warm, cool, salty, creamy, and nostalgic all at once.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Servings
- 2
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Instructions
Roast the chicken
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken breast dry with paper towels, rub with olive oil, and season with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Place on a small sheet pan and roast until the thickest part reaches 155–160°F, about 18–25 minutes depending on thickness. Rest for 10 minutes, allowing the chicken to finish carrying over to 165°F, then slice thinly.
Cook the bacon
While the chicken roasts, cook the bacon until just crisp, but not brittle. Drain well, chop, and reserve 1–2 teaspoons of the bacon fat.
Stretch the crust
Increase the oven to 500–525°F with a pizza stone or steel if available. Stretch the pizza dough very thin, about 10–12 inches wide, using flour as needed. Dock the dough lightly with a fork to help prevent large bubbles.
Build and bake the pizza crust base
Brush the stretched dough lightly with the reserved bacon fat. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the dough, keeping the layer thin and covering close to the edges. Scatter the chopped bacon over the cheese. Bake until the crust is crisp underneath, the cheese is melted with light browning, and the bacon has rendered further into the cheese, about 6–8 minutes on a steel or 8–10 minutes on a stone.
Cut the crust into sandwich halves
Remove the baked crust from the oven and let it rest for 2–3 minutes. Cut it in half so one half can become the bottom of the sandwich and the other half can become the top.
Build the sandwich
Place one half of the baked crust cheese-side up on a cutting board or plate. Layer the sliced oven-roasted chicken over the crust, then spread or drizzle with mayonnaise. Add shredded iceberg lettuce and thin tomato slices. If desired, season the tomatoes with a tiny pinch of salt.
Close and slice
Place the second half of the baked crust on top, cheese-side down or slightly inward, to form a sandwich. Press gently so it holds together, then cut into quarters.
Serve
Serve immediately while the crust is still crisp and the chicken is warm, with the lettuce and tomato still cool.
Recipe by
Russell Toris
@russell-toris