The
hot chicken sandwich or simply "hot chicken" (Quebec French:
sandwich chaud au poulet) is a type of chicken sandwich consisting of
chicken,
sliced bread, and
gravy (which is generally
poutine sauce). The sandwich is usually served with
green peas and commonly found in Eastern
Canadian cuisine. It's especially popular in
Quebec and is often considered one of the province's staple dishes.
[7][8] Since it is so commonly found in eateries of Quebec (
Rôtisserie St-Hubert,
Valentine, e.g.) and less seen outside the province, many
Québécois regard it as a part of
Quebec cuisine and believe it to have originated in the province.
[7] This combination of chicken, gravy, and peas is known by its own term:
galvaude,
[7] seen in
poutine galvaude.
Although less featured in other areas of North America, the sandwich is also found in small diners from the
Canadian Maritimes[9] and throughout the
Southeastern United States.
[10]
The sandwich was a working-class dish already common and well established in North American cuisine by the early 1900s[11] and featured on the food menus of pharmacists and druggists of the time.[12] Due to its ease of preparation and its minimal costs, the sandwich was also widely served in the mess halls and cafeterias of the mid-1900s.[13][14]
This style of sandwich often makes use of
leftovers from a previous meal. Substituting
turkey for the chicken would make a
hot turkey sandwich[15] and substituting
roast beef makes a variety of the
roast beef sandwich.
[16]