Panes con pollo, the Salvadoran version of a chicken sandwich, are a wonderful way to celebrate a party, birthday, holiday, or just a family cookout.
One thing to keep in mind is the type of bread used. Some people say that French bread and Mexican bolillo are the same and interchangeable; I say for some things, of course, but not for this Salvadoran dish. This sandwich calls for a hollow bread that will hold and absorb a lot of sauce. The bolillo can sometimes be too doughy and its crumb does not absorb the liquid very well, so using it would be a farce. If you can't find good French bread in a Salvadoran bakery, the next bread available will have to suffice, but I'm just giving you the facts. Some Salvadoran cooks add curtido, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and sliced beets to their breads, but this is optional.
If you're eating the sandwich and notice that it's falling apart because of the sauce, that's okay, it just means you're doing it right. I've been to parties where the bread is soaked and whoever makes the sandwiches still says, “Oh, wait, let me add more sauce.” One time on Christmas Eve, my brother, my husband, and I were doing the family Christmas rounds, and an aunt we went to visit was still cooking and cutting vegetables for breads. She told us to wait until they were ready. When we needed to leave, she was just finishing, but we couldn't stay to eat them or we'd be delayed on our carefully planned family Christmas tour. My brother was missing a frying pan and let's just say it's not a good sandwich. He loved every bite, but he had sauce and crumbs everywhere.
