The Healthy Reuben Bagel

There’s nothing like biting into a Reuben Sandwich and having corned beef juice dribbling down your face and sauerkraut falling into your lap.  The Reuben Sandwich of my dreams is so stuffed with these ingredients, plus melted Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on rye bread, that I can barely get it into my mouth.

I happily dealt with that problem for years until I decided that too much fatty meat was not good for me.  So I gave up eating Reuben Sandwiches. But I never forgot the taste.

Then I bought a dozen mixed bagels and discovered a rye bagel in the bag.  “Aha!” I thought.  “Time for a Reuben Sandwich.”

Of course, I didn’t have any corned beef, sauerkraut or Swiss cheese.  But I did have some cooked chicken breasts, pickles and Gouda cheese.  I also knew how to make Russian dressing.

My Reuben Bagel was virtually unrecognizable as a Reuben Sandwich, but it was good as it was.  And I didn’t feel guilty eating it because slices of chicken are less fatty than slices of corned beef.  

Reuben Bagels – serves 2 (adapted from “Faster! I’m Starving!”) 

1 boneless chicken breast (about 1/2 pound) or leftover cooked turkey
2 tablespoons Russian dressing (recipe below)
2 rye bagels
4 thin slices Swiss or Gouda cheese
4 thin slices pickle or 1/4 cup sauerkraut
1/4 cup Russian Dressing, bottled or make your own (recipe below) 

Russian Dressing 

2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons sweet relish 

Combine the 3 ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.  Set aside until needed. 

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Put the chicken breast in a small pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken breast is white inside when you cut into it, not pink.  Remove from the heat and let cool.  Slice it into thin slices and set aside.  If you're using leftover turkey, thinly slice some breast meat.  

While the chicken is cooking, make the Russian Dressing, if needed.  

Slice the bagels in half.  Put half of each bagel in a non-stick frying pan, cut side up. Cover the cut side with Russian Dressing.  Lay 1 slice cheese onto each half.  Add 2 slices pickle or 2 tablespoons sauerkraut onto the cheese. Then add half the chicken slices onto each bagel half.  Top the chicken with the remaining cheese.  Spread Russian Dressing on the cut side of the two remaining bagel halves and place them, cut side down, on the stacked bagels.  Cover with a domed lid.   

Begin heating the frying pan over medium heat and cook the bagel sandwiches on one side for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom layer of cheese begins to melt.  Carefully turn over each bagel with a metal spatula and cook for another 2 minutes, or until all the cheese has melted.  

Remove from the heat, cut in half and serve with lots of napkins. 

NOTE: If the bagels are more than 1-inch thick, slice them into 3 parts instead of in half.  Proceed as described above, using 2 of the 6 slices for each Reuben Bagel.  You’ll have 2 bagel slices left with which to make a third sandwich or to eat as a plain bagel.

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