Baby Brioches With Chicken Salad and Bacon

From food and wine mag The classic chicken salad can be bolstered with any number of seasonings, from curry powder or mustard to harissa. To turn these two-bite snacks into mini sandwiches, cut the brioche rolls in half, mound the chicken salad, tomato and bacon inside, and secure with a toothpick.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 16
• Yields: 16 Brioches

Ingredients

• 4  slices  of applewood-smoked bacon
• 16  mini  brioche rolls (about 2 inches)
• 1⁄3 cup mayonnaise
• 1  celery rib, minced
• 1⁄2 small shallot, minced
• 2  teaspoons  minced flat leaf parsley, plus 32 large flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1  teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2  chicken breasts, from a rotisserie chicken skin and bones discarded chicken cut into 1/3-inch dice
•  kosher  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2  small plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices (16 slices)

Directions

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until browned and crisp all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, then cut each slice into 4 pieces.
2. 2. Using a paring knife, cut a 1-inch round plug out of the top of each brioche roll. Carefully hollow out the rolls. Set the rolls on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven to refresh them, about 5 minutes.
3. 3. In a medium bowl, combine the the mayonnaise, celery, shallot, minced parsley and lemon juice. Stir in the diced chicken and season the salad with salt and pepper.
4. 4. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the chicken salad into each brioche roll, garnish with parsley leaves and cover with a tomato slice. Top each roll with 1 teaspoon of chicken salad, garnish with the bacon and serve.