I tried a Publix chicken tender sub for the first time and instantly understood why the sandwich is so popular
- On a recent trip to Florida I stopped at Publix to try one of its famous sandwiches.
- Friends told me that a chicken tender "Pub sub" is the way to go, so that's what I ordered.
I recently left New York for a week in Florida to soak in some warm weather and see my grandma. We drove to pick up some groceries at the legendary Southern supermarket, Publix, and I took the opportunity to taste something I've only heard amazing things about: a Publix chicken tender sandwich, or "Pub sub" for short.
After trying the chain's delicious sheet cake on a road trip through Atlanta, Georgia, I decided I had to give this sandwich a go as well.
So, I walked up to the impressive deli counter at the Publix location I visited in Delray Beach and placed my order for a chicken tender sandwich. While the item is on the menu, you can customize the size of the sub roll and the other ingredients you'd like in your sandwich. I went with a half-size sub roll, chicken tenders, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and honey mustard for $6.79.
I watched as the professional behind the counter did their thing — layering the fried chicken, cheese, veggies, and sauce in a calculated order. I was surprised that the chicken was the first thing to go down onto the bun, but once I bit into the sandwich I understood the method (I'll get to that later).
The first thing the Publix deli employee did was hollow out the roll to make room for all of the toppings I asked for. Then, they chopped up around four large chicken tenders and drizzled them with a generous amount of honey mustard. Next came the layer of cheese followed by the tomato slices and then, finally, a mountain of shredded lettuce.
Somehow, they got everything to fit into the boundaries of the 6-inch bread and wrapped it up in paper beautifully.
This sandwich seemed to weigh a lot — I could tell just from carrying it to the car. I couldn't wait to tuck into the sandwich, but I had some other stops to make before I could try it, plus I wanted to see how well it would keep as I often pick up a sub to eat hours later at the beach.
Two hours later, I unwrapped the sandwich at my grandma's house and was pleasantly surprised to find it tasted fresh.
The chicken was still crunchy under the weight of everything else; the lettuce was still crisp; the tomato still juicy and intact. But I was most impressed by the bread, which was somehow still dry. Typically when I order a deli sandwich and don't eat it right away, the bread gets soggy around the edges and loses its outer texture. But not this roll.
In that moment, the Publix employee's stacking method made total sense to me. I realized that the way each ingredient was layered was key to holding the whole thing together and ensuring it would stay tasting fresh for longer. In my opinion, that's what makes this the perfect beach lunch — you can pick it up in the morning, stick it in your beach bag for hours, and by the time you're ready to dive in it's still delicious.