Deluxe Grilled Chicken Sandwiches!

Who doesn’t love an amazing grilled sandwich creation? The awesome thing about food such as this is that it’s incredibly versatile, and can be easily switched up every time. Plus it tastes amazing!!!

I start with the following ingredients~
-Good bread. I have found a local bakery, “Seed” in Pasadena that actually carries true sourdough bread! Phenomenal find, and I highly recommend it if you are anywhere nearby. Today I chose both their multi-grain bread for sandwiches and a loaf of their delicious ciabatta bread.
-Organic chicken. I went with chicken cutlets, which are chicken breasts pre-sliced in half. They are excellent for sandwiches and dishes where you don’t want a thick piece of chicken. Whole foods offers this option, or ask your deli person to slice the chicken for you  You need about one chicken cutlet for two sandwiches.
-Turkey bacon! Or whatever kind of bacon you prefer. Completely optional, it adds some good flavor into the mix!
-Quality cheese. For this ensemble, I used both pepper jack and a sharp cheddar. Choose raw, organic, grass-fed cheese when at all possible (Sprouts and Whole Foods carry these options in southern California).
-Veggies! In this case, I went with onions and bell peppers. Mushrooms, tomatoes, poblano peppers and even olives would be an amazing choice…..
-Toppings. I used both Dijon mustard and a quality mayo, as well as this amazing garlic spread that is a new favorite discovery, and
-Butter, for grilling. What else?

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F/175 C. Wash peppers, slice in half and remove seeds. Throw on some salt, pepper, butter and any other preferred seasonings.

*Cooking tip* If you slice peppers along the natural ridge it’s an easy cut*

Slice onions. Do the same as with the peppers, adding salt, pepper, butter and anything else you fancy!

*Cooking tip* If you’re like me, and easily cry over the onions, light a candle first. It does not eliminate all issues, but it does slow down the tears! ;)*

Roast the veggies in the oven until done, approximately 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, begin prepping the rest of the ingredients. Cook up that turkey bacon!!

Grill the chicken! I recommend adding salt and pepper for flavor, and enhancing that further by using the same pan as with the bacon. Helps when it comes to clean-up too!
Chicken cutlets won’t take long to cook, and you don’t want to overdo it. A good rule of thumb is always to check for doneness using a meat thermometer, which should register at 160 degrees when it comes to chicken.

Now this looks good!!

While this is all taking place, you can slice the bread……

Delicious!

And the cheese!

Once everything is prepared, it’s assembly time! I layered the cayenne garlic spread on one half, and the mayo and mustard on the top……

I recommend always putting cheese directly next to the bread, so it can easily melt. The bacon makes a wonderful contrast, and will melt directly into the cheese……yum!!

I layered the chicken and peppers on the other side, and added the onions to the bacon- wow!

Melt some butter on medium heat, and put the sandwiches (cheese side down) into the pan. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn past how you like them. The trickiest part is going to be to flip them without them falling apart! It is a challenge, but definitely worth it…..

The ciabatta bread is hard to pan grill, so if you’re using that I would broil it open faced instead. Tastes amazing!

And here we are!!! Totally worth the effort.

The meal was made complete with a delicious split-pea soup and a wonderful salad….bon appetite!

*Deluxe Grilled Chicken Sandwiches*

Serves 6

Ingredients~

-Your bread of choice
-3 chicken cutlets
-6 slices bacon
-10/12 oz. cheese
-2 bell peppers
-2 onions
-Condiments of choice- mayo, mustard, garlic spread, salt and pepper
-Butter

To create~

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F/175 C. Wash peppers, slice in half and remove seeds. Add salt, pepper, butter and any other preferred seasonings.
– Slice onions. Do the same as with the peppers, adding salt, pepper, butter and anything else you fancy!
– Roast the veggies in the oven stirring occasionally until done, approximately 40 minutes.
– Meanwhile, begin prepping the rest of the ingredients. Cook up that turkey bacon!
– Grill the chicken. I recommend adding salt and pepper for flavor, and enhancing that further by using the same pan as with the bacon. This helps when it comes to clean-up too!
Chicken cutlets won’t take long to cook, and you don’t want to overdo it. A good rule of thumb is always to check for doneness using a meat thermometer, which should register at 160 degrees when it comes to chicken….
– While this is all taking place, you can slice the bread…
-And the cheese!
– Once everything is prepared, it’s assembly time! I layered the cayenne garlic spread on one half of the bread, and the mayo and mustard on the top……
-Add the cheese directly on top of the bread, so it can easily melt. The bacon makes a wonderful addition in addition to that, and will melt directly into the cheese……yum 
– Layer the chicken and peppers on the other side of the bread, and add the onions to the bacon- wow!
-Melt some butter on medium heat, and put the sandwiches (cheese side down) into the pan. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn past how you like them. The trickiest part is going to be to flip them without them falling apart! It is a challenge, but definitely worth it.
-The ciabatta bread is hard to pan grill, so if you’re using that broil it open faced instead. Tastes amazing!
-Enjoy the fruits of your effort! Those you cook for will love you….

This recipe is……

-S/F (Sugar-free)
-Easily portable and makes wonderful lunches the next day!
-Extremely variable depending on your tastes and creative inklings…..

Potential variations….

-Use mushrooms, poblano peppers, jalapeños and/or olives as veggies choices.
-Mix up the sauces with thousand island, pesto or hot sauce as delicious alternatives, and
-Go nuts on the cheese! There are so many amazing varieties to choose from