Green chicken sando in time for St. Patrick’s Day
With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, East Van’s Downlow Chicken is getting ready to roll out a green chicken that’s awesome for a couple of reasons. First up, let’s talk about the look of the DL Hot Herb Chicken Sando. Whether intentionally, or by some brilliant coincidence, the sandwich actually looks like it’s been packed with more herb than chicken. And by herb, we’re not talking the stuff that made a mogul out of Col. Harland Sanders.
Seriously—take a look at the picture above. It’s as if someone found themself gifted with a pillowcase full of Green Python indica, and then decided to pay their good fortune forward by stacking six ounces of green gold between two hamburger buns. The best part being that a herb sandwich would be the world’s most brilliant business strategy in that the more you eat, the more you need to eat another one.
But we’re getting a little off topic. Despite appearances, that’s not B.C. bud front and centre in the Downlow Hot Herb Chicken Sando but green chicken. The sandwich will arrive at DL’s Commercial Drive and UBC location just ahead of St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.
In announcing the release of the Hot Herb Chicken Sando, Downlow co-owner Doug Stephen said, “We haven’t launched a new flavour at DL Chicken for a while, and I’ve always wanted to create a unique balance of herbs and spice in one of our hot sandos, and they happen to all be green.”
Then, slyly acknowledging that his team has created something that looks like what Snoop Dogg would serve Willie Nelson and Miley Cyrus for breakfast, he added: “We used no food colouring, every ingredient is natural. There are definite Vancouver vibes in its appearance for sure, which is a cheeky nod to the things we love.”
The green in the “lucky” Hot Herb Chicken Sando comes from a chimichurri spice dust where oregano, parsley, and cilantro all play a starring role. That sandwich is finished with green jalapeño dust and a splash of citrus, (with the chicken available in both breast or thigh), as well as Downlow sauce, pickled onions, sweet pickles, and sweet-and-sour slaw.
So what do you get?
That would be a fully stacked mini-meal that packs some heat, but not to the point where you’re scrambling for green beer or a Shamrock Shake to cool things down.
As always at Downlow, bonus marks for the mix of crispy-fried crunch and pickly sweetness. And, in this case, another two points for producing a “lucky” sandwich you don’t want to be working your way through when pulling up to the American border, picnicking in Iraq, or having lunch with the ghost of Nancy Reagan.