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Fluffy and crunchy, sweet and buttery, our Chicago-style pepper and egg sandwich recipe is a surefire way to deliver a simple, hot, and hearty dish to family and friends, no matter what time of day it is.
Pepper and Egg Sandwich Recipe
Chicagoans know how to make heartwarming food to feed the whole family, and that’s why this dish is so special. It is so simple to make but really does serenade both the stomach and soul with every bite of hearty, crunchy, sweet, and buttery goodness.
What is Authentic Chicago Pepper and Egg Sandwich?
A simple dish synonymous with Chicago’s Catholic Italian-American population, a pepper and egg sandwich is pretty much what it sounds like. It consists of soft and fluffy scrambled egg and sweet grilled bell peppers, served in a portion of French bread.
While this style of sandwich had been eaten in both Italy and the US long before the 1960s, it become especially popular in Chicago after Pope Paul VI announced changes to the Catholic Church’s fasting requirements in 1966, stating that meat was not allowed to be eaten on Fridays.
As a result, this hearty, non-meat sandwich that’s suitable for all times of the day became hugely popular in delis and restaurants across the city, at first on Fridays, and in time throughout the week.
Variations
While many of these suggestions are not in what’s seen as an authentic Chicago-style pepper and egg sandwich, you can use them to help you substitute in ingredients you don’t have or adapt the taste to your liking.
Bread: Crusty French bread, as with many Chicago sandwiches, is the go-to for this dish. However, as long as the bread has some crunch to compliment the fluffy eggs and soft peppers, if you can’t get your hands on some French or Italian bread, you can substitute in other types of bread, even a croissant!
Peppers: Commonly, green bell peppers or Cubanelle/Italian frying peppers were used, but you can use red, yellow, or a combination of bell peppers. Some people also like to add additional spicy peppers, such as jalapeño, in small amounts for extra kick.
Hot Sauce: You’ll often see people add hot sauce, or a range of other condiments, to the sandwich once cooked.
Cheese: Some white cheddar or crumbled feta, for example, can help put a smile on the face of any of you cheese lovers out there.
Additional ingredients: There’s no end to the additions you can make to really bring out the flavors of the peppers and eggs. In our recipe, we’ve added chopped onion, along with oregano and garlic powder.
Ingredients
To make our pepper and egg sandwich, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Green Bell Pepper – 1 medium green bell pepper
- Red Bell Pepper – 1 medium red bell pepper
- Onion – 1/2 medium onion
- Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp (or to taste) kosher salt
- Oregano – 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- Garlic Powder – 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Black Pepper – 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Butter – 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- Eggs – 4 medium eggs
- Baguette – French bread cut into two pieces of 6 inch (15 cm) each
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Whisk the eggs and add half the salt to the eggs. Set aside for now. Salting the eggs early will make the eggs fluffier.
Step 2 (Optional) – If you want to warm up the French bread, wrap it in foil and place it in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 5-10 minutes.
You can also scoop up some of the middle of the bread to make more room for the eggs.
Step 3 – Roughly chop peppers and onion.
Step 4 – In a pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil, and add the bell peppers. Char for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 5 – After 5 minutes, turn the heat down to medium and add the onions, black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and half of the salt, stirring everything for 15-20 seconds.
Step 6 – Put a lid on, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook for about 6-7 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 7 – Remove the peppers and onions from the pan to a separate bowl and cover it with foil to keep them warm. Now, wipe the pan clean or use a separate pan for cooking the eggs.
Step 8 – To the pan on medium-low heat, add 1 tbsp of butter, and once that’s melted, add the salted whisked eggs. Cook for 3-4 minutes while gently pushing and folding them with a spatula.
Step 9 – Once the eggs are just about ready, add the peppers and onions back to the pan and combine with the scrambled eggs.
Step 10 – Serve in the baguettes (or bread of choice). Optionally, sprinkle some flaky finishing salt on the eggs and peppers (to taste).
Texturally, there is so much to love about this Chicago classic. From the crunch of the bread to the bounce of the scrambled egg, every mouthful is as comforting as it is flavorful.
This dish is great for all occasions. If you need a quick lunch to feed the family, or need something filling to go before you head out, Chicago-style pepper and egg sandwich can quickly become one of your new favorites.
Pepper and Egg Sandwich Recipe Card
Pepper and Egg Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1/2 medium onion
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp (or to taste) kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 medium eggs
- 2 x 6-inch baguettes/French bread (or bread of choice)
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs and add half the salt to the eggs. Set aside for now. Salting the eggs early will make the eggs fluffier.
- If you want to warm up the French bread, wrap it in foil and place it in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 5-10 minutes.
- Roughly chop peppers and onion.
- In a pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil, and add the bell peppers. Char for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 5 minutes, turn the heat down to medium and add the onions, black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and half of the salt, stirring everything for 15-20 seconds.
- Put a lid on, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook for about 6-7 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the peppers and onions from the pan to a separate bowl and cover it with foil to keep them warm. Now, wipe the pan clean or use a separate pan for cooking the eggs.
- To the pan on medium-low heat, add 1 tbsp of butter, and once that’s melted, add the salted whisked eggs. Cook for 3-4 minutes while gently pushing and folding them with a spatula.
- Once the eggs are just about ready, add the peppers and onions back to the pan and combine them with the scrambled eggs.
- Serve in the French bread. Optionally, sprinkle some flaky finishing salt on the eggs and peppers (to taste).
Notes
You can scoop up some of the middle of the bread to make more room for the eggs.
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