Cemita Milanesa de Pollo is the sandwich sold—by almost every vendor—at the Mercado in Puebla for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks. Needless to say, the competition over who makes the best is fierce. A generous portion of crispy fried chicken hangs over a sesame seed bun, which also cradles a generous amount of shredded Oaxacan cheese, avocado, and escabeche de verdura, pickled vegetables that take on a spicy, smoky heat from chiles in adobo.
In Puebla, the sandwich is made with palapo, an herb indigenous to the area. When he’s back in Texas, Hernandez uses a mix of peppery arugula and fresh mint to replicate the herb’s distinctive flavor. In this recipe, the chicken is a classic Milanesa preparation that’s simply seasoned with salt and pepper. The sandwich gets depth of flavor from the other components. "Mexico is all about layers of flavor," says Johnny Hernandez, chef at La Gloria and La Fruteria in San Antonio.