Sandwich Sushi is one of my son’s favorite lunch box recipes. They have all of the flavors of a chicken and cheese sandwich rolled up into cute pieces of “sushi”. There’s even a spinach ranch dipping sauce that looks just like wasbi!
This post was sponsored by King’s Hawaiian as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Your child will be the hit of the lunch room with these adorable sandwich sushi rolls in their lunch box. Don’t let the cuteness fool you though. They are packed with wholesome deliciousness.
What Is Sandwich Sushi?
Although this recipe is called “sushi”, it’s not really sushi. It’s just a fun take on traditional Asian fare. For this recipe, I took some of my son’s favorite sandwich ingredients and turned them into sushi-like rolls.
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These Chicken and Cheddar Sandwich Sushi rolls have layers of chicken, spinach, carrots and more rolled into a flattened slice of King’s Hawaiian sandwich bread. They have all of the flavors of a chicken and cheddar sandwich, rolled up and cut into sushi-like shapes.
How to Make Sushi Rolls – Step by Step
- Remove crusts: Begin by removing the crust from a slice of King’s Hawaiian sandwich bread. (Photo 1 below)
- Roll bread flat: Use a rolling pin to flatten the bread. You may have to roll both sides so that it completely flattens. (Photo 2 below)
- Begin layering the ingredients: Start with a layer of baby spinach, placing it bottom-side up. (Photo 3 below)
- Cover with spinach: Cover the entire slice of bread with spinach. (Photo 1 below)
- Add chicken: Add a slice of deli chicken on top of the spinach. Check out my expert tips below. (Photo 2 below)
- Add cheese: Place a slice of cheddar on top of the chicken. (Photo 3 below)
- Add cranberries: For a hint of sweetness, add dried cranberries. (Photo 1 below)
- Add more chicken: Add another slice of chicken to hold the cranberries in place. (Photo 2 below)
- Add slivered carrots: Place a small amount of slivered carrots down the center of the chicken. (Photo 3 below)
- Roll the sandwich sushi: Roll the “sushi” up like a jelly roll. (Photo 1 below)
- Be careful: Make sure you tightly roll the sandwich up. If you don’t roll it tightly, it will fall apart. See my expert tips before for more help. (Photo 2 below)
- Slice the sushi roll: Remove a thin piece from each end, then slice the remaining roll into four equal portions. (Photo 3 below)
- Make dipping sauce: Combine ranch dressing and spinach leaves in a food processor. (Photo below)
Tip for Making Bento Sushi
I love making lunch time extra special for my son. This Chicken and Cheddar Sandwich Sushi is a fun way to make lunch-time extra special. My son is a huge fan of King’s Hawaiian rolls. They are always in my grocery cart.
When I saw that King’s Hawaiian offered sliced sandwich bread, I couldn’t wait to incorporate it into his lunch. The variety of King’s Hawaiian products makes it easy to get creative with lunch box recipes – whether they’re sweet or savory.
The texture of King’s Hawaiian sandwich bread is perfect for this bento sushi recipe. It hold up well to being flattened and rolled up. Plus, the hint of sweetness in the bread makes a great flavor combination with the chicken and turkey.
I also like the shape and size of King’s Hawaiian sandwich bread. When the crust is trimmed off, it’s the perfect shape for this recipe.
How to Keep Lunch Box Recipes Cool
When packing a lunch with perishable ingredients, like this sandwich sushi and spinach ranch dipping sauce, you want to make sure it stays cool until lunch time. One of the easiest, and economical, ways to do this is to make light weight ice pack. Here’s how:
- Wet an unused kitchen sponge and wring out most of the water.
- Place the wet sponge in a zipper bag.
- Remove all of the excess air before sealing the bag.
- Freeze overnight.
- Place the frozen sponge, in the zipper bag, in your lunch box.
It’s light weight, easy to make and super economical (if it accidentally ends up in the trash). This will provide just enough coolness to keep the bento sushi fresh until lunchtime.
Expert Tips for Making the Best Sandwich Sushi
Here are some more expert tips for making Chicken and Cheddar Sandwich Sushi. These tips and tricks will ensure your sushi comes out perfect every time.
- Use water: If the bread seems like it’s a little dry, slightly wet your hands and rub them over both sides of the bread before rolling it out. Don’t use too much water – you don’t want soggy bread.
- Roll both sides of the bread: To get the bread completely flattened, make sure you roll out both sides of the bread.
- Thinner is better: Make sure you get very thinly sliced meat and cheese. It will be hard to roll if the ingredients are too thick.
- Mix up the filling: Feel free to swap the filling ingredients for whatever flavors your family likes. Just remember not to overfill the bread or it will be hard to roll up and keep rolled.
- Use a good quality bread: I highly recommend using King’s Hawaiian sandwich bread for this recipe.
And, make sure you share your own creative lunch box recipes. You can tag me on Instagram and use the hashtag #itisakeeper. And, don’t forget to tag King’s Hawaiian too. You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
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Chicken and Cheddar Sandwich Sushi
Ingredients
Sandwich Sushi
- 1 slice King's Hawaiian sandwich bread
- 1 cup baby spinach, divided
- 2 slices deli chicken, thinly sliced
- 1 slice cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon bagged shredded carrots
Spinach Ranch Dipping Sauce
- ⅓ cup ranch salad dressing
- Remaining spinach
Instructions
Sandwich Sushi
- Remove the crust from the bread.
- Use a rolling pin to completely flatten the slice of bread. You will need to roll both sides to get it thin enough.
- Cover the top of the bread with a single layer of baby spinach. Remove any stems.
- Reserve the remaining spinach for the dipping sauce (recipe included).
- Place a slice of chicken on top of the spinach.
- Add a slice of cheese.
- Add a thin, single layer of dried cranberries on top.
- Top with another slice of chicken.
- Place a thin row of shredded carrots down the center of the chicken.
- Tightly roll up the sandwich, jelly roll style.
- Slice off a thin piece from each end.
- Slice remaining roll into four equal pieces.
Spinach Ranch Dipping Sauce
- Place the ranch salad dressing and remaining spinach leaves into a food processor.
- Pulse until spinach and dressing are fully combined.
Expert Tips
- Use water: If the bread seems like it's a little dry, slightly wet your hands and rub them over both sides of the bread before rolling it out. Don't use too much water - you don't want soggy bread.
- Roll both sides of the bread: To get the bread completely flattened, make sure you roll out both sides of the bread.
- Thinner is better: Make sure you get very thinly sliced meat and cheese. It will be hard to roll if the ingredients are too thick.
- Mix up the filling: Feel free to swap the filling ingredients for whatever flavors your family likes. Just remember not to overfill the bread or it will be hard to roll up and keep rolled.
- Use a good quality bread: I highly recommend using King's Hawaiian sandwich bread for this recipe.
This looks so good~ I can’t wait to try this for tomorrow lunch.