Cemitas Poblanas

A cemita poblana sandwich with crispy chicken milanesa, avocado, and stringy quesillo or Oaxaca cheese on a sesame bun.

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Cemitas poblanas are big Mexican sandwiches from Puebla made with crispy chicken milanesa, avocado, chipotles, onion, and stringy quesillo on a toasted sesame cemita bun.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: sandwiches

Author: Isabel Orozco-Moore

Ingredients

For the milanesa

Vegetable oil, for frying (avocado, canola, or grapeseed are great)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons fine salt, divided
3 large eggs
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise

For the cemitas poblanas

4 cemita buns (or large sesame seed buns), split in half
Butter, for toasting (optional)
2 avocados, sliced
½ white or red onion, thinly sliced
½ bunch pápalo or cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped
6 chipotle peppers plus adobo sauce, roughly chopped
4 ounces Oaxaca cheese/quesillo, pulled into thin strands or shredded
Flaky sea salt, for garnishing

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients. Heat 1½ to 2 inches of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, prepare three separate shallow bowls or plates. In one shallow bowl, mix together the flour and 1 teaspoon of the fine salt.
In a second shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs with ½ teaspoon of the fine salt.
In a third shallow bowl, combine the panko, the remaining ½ teaspoon of fine salt, the black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and smoked paprika.
Line a large cutting board with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Lay the chicken breasts on top in a single layer, and then cover with another piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper.
Using a meat mallet or a heavy cast iron skillet, pound each chicken breast to about ¼-inch thickness.
Coat the chicken. Working with one chicken breast at a time, dredge it in the flour mixture to coat both sides, shaking off any excess flour. Then dip both sides into the egg mixture, and finally into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing down lightly to fully coat both sides.
Fry. Working in batches of 2, shallow-fry the milanesa for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden and crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess grease. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Toast the buns. Toast the buns cut side down in a skillet over medium heat, dry or with a little butter, until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Assemble the cemitas poblanas. Spread a layer of avocado slices on the bottom half of a cemita bun, then add the chicken milanesa, 1 ounce of quesillo, a spoonful of chopped chipotles in adobo, sliced onion, a sprinkle of pápalo or cilantro, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Press the top half of the bun on top and repeat until they have all been assembled. Serve immediately.

Notes

Storage: Store leftover milanesa and the toppings separately in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the milanesa in the air fryer for about 5 minutes so it crisps back up, then build the sandwiches fresh.
Doneness: The chicken is done when it hits 165°F inside. Since it's pounded thin, it usually gets there right as the crust turns golden.
Pápalo swap: Pápalo can be hard to find, even at Mexican grocery stores, so cilantro works as an easy swap.
Cheese swap: If you can't find quesillo/Oaxaca cheese, use mozzarella or pull string cheese apart into thin strands.
Chipotle swap: Salsa morita or pickled jalapeños both work in place of the chipotles.
Meat swap: Pork or beef cutlets pounded to ¼ inch work the same way. Fry them until golden and cooked through.

Nutrition