“Henny Penny” is the original name for a folktale I knew by the name of “Chicken Little” growing up. In the story, an acorn hits Henny Penny on the head. She believes the sky is falling and rushes to tell the king, and her alarmed friends join her on the journey. But a sly fox takes advantage of their hysteria, and the band of poultry meet an unfortunate end.

At Indy’s Sandwich in South Portland, where the signature sandwiches are all named for storybook characters, the Henny Penny will bring you no such peril.

Like its namesake, the chicken on this sandwich is the star. Striking the right balance of breading to meat in a fried chicken sandwich is not an easy task. But Indy’s layers two generous pieces on top of each other, which means every bite gets both crispy outside and juicy thigh meat inside.

Henny Penny got herself into a mess, and this sandwich is no tidy meal. It comes with a generous dressing of teriyaki mayo, which is both sweet and savory. Don’t panic, but do have some napkins on hand. Still, the sandwich isn’t too big to bite and doesn’t fall apart when eaten. The other toppings on the brioche bun are lettuce, tomato and pickled red onion. (I wouldn’t have minded a pickle on the sandwich or on the side, but our naïve namesake probably had enough for both of us.)

I love a good story, and I also love a good chicken sandwich. Henny Penny is a classic in both senses.

Henny Penny, $14.25; Indy’s Sandwich, 744 Main St., South Portland, 207-747-4082, indyssandwich.com

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