Chicken Jibarito BLT

Chef notes

The ways that food travels can prove fascinating, particularly reverse immigration. In Maracaibo, Venezuela, a sandwich with fried plantains (tostones) instead of bread is a patacón maracucho. In the Dominican Republic, it's just a patacón. In Aguada, Puerto Rico, Jorge Muñoz and Coquí Feliciano served a similar dish at Plátano Loco, their restaurant, in 1991. Juan Figueroa, who owned the Borinquen Restaurant in Chicago, read about the Plátano Loco sandwich and created his own version in 1996, Americanizing it with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, more mayonnaise than a patacón and garlic oil. He called it a jibarito, which means "little bumpkin." It instantly became an iconic dish. After New York City, Chicago has the second largest population of Puerto Ricans outside Puerto Rico, and word spread. Now islanders enjoy it, too, and with this recipe, so can you.

Technique tip: You need to fry the plantains twice, first to break down the starches so you can flatten them and then to give them that extra-crispy texture.

Swap options: Instead of garlic oil, you can use garlic butter by combining 1 tablespoon melted butter with 3/4 teaspoon roasted minced garlic. You also can mix the chicken with garlic mayonnaise (aioli) and omit the extra smear of mayo and garlic oil — or, better yet, amp it up. Mix 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 3 minced cloves of garlic, 2½ tablespoons lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few cracks of black pepper.

Instead of mayo chicken, you can use 10 ounces of sliced chicken breast, roast pork, steak, tuna or your protein of choice.

For a vegetarian sandwich, omit the chicken and bacon.