Ridiculously Juicy Blackened Chicken Sandwiches
I love, love, love cheeseburgers. That may sound like a strange way to begin a post on a chicken sandwich, but I make this statement because I hardly ever order anything but burgers off a menu. However, I've *finally* accepted that the constant in-take of red meat may not be the most healthy thing ever. So, I let my eye wander around other sections of the menu a few months ago and realized that grilled chicken sandwiches are a pretty good substitute. Kinda.
You see, boneless skinless chicken breasts take a lot to make them flavorful. Restaurants and home cooks alike tend to overcook them, reducing them to flavorless slabs. I've marinated, baked, poached, and boiled them, but I have to say that the best way to eat them is blackened and grilled.
That's why, when I found this sandwich, I was delighted to have an alternative that was juicy, smoky, and not a burger. It also allowed me to indulge in two of my favorite foods: goat cheese and pepper jelly.
This sandwich is a take on a popular one down south. The chicken is grilled, juicy, and spicy, the goat cheese is melted and creamy; the bacon adds a needed crunch and saltiness, and the pepper jelly is sharp and sweet all at once. The best thing about the sandwich is that it only takes about 20 minutes to make, meaning that you won't have to remember to marinade chicken or watch over a pot of poaching chicken on a weekday night.
I make these sandwiches with thin-cut chicken breasts for two reasons. First, they are more sandwich friendly, as I don't have to chew through tons of chicken and second, they cook faster on the grill pan and then in the oven. I also cook the bacon in the oven because I don't have to watch another pan on the stove and it gets far crispier.
Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, butterflied. Or, if you can find them at the store, thin-cut chicken breasts.
1 tube of plain goat cheese (about half the tube, divded)
1/4 cup of pepper jelly, divided (so two tablespoons for one bun and two for the other), or pepper jelly to taste
Soft potato rolls
4 slices of bacon.
A mixture of your favorite blackening seasons. Admittedly, this is eye-balled based on my own pantry's current offerings and how spicy I want it. I usually use a mixture of: paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, dried powdered thyme, black pepper, and salt.
Directions:
1) Place 4 strips of bacon on a cookie sheet that's lined with parchment. Season them to taste with black pepper.
2) Put them in the oven and turn on the oven to 400 degrees. You don't preheat the oven beforehand because you want the bacon fat to be slowly rendered out. Ovens vary, but mine usually get crisp in 15-20 minutes.
3) Dry off the chicken breast. Rub the seasonings into both sides of the chicken.
4) Pre-heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium high heat. If necessary (as in, you are still breaking in your cast iron pan), add a small bit of oil. Once hot, place the chicken down on the grill. Keep an eye on it. When it looks like the bottom 1/3 of the chicken is white and cooked through flip it. For my stove, this takes about 2-3 minutes. Repeat for the other side.
5) Once the chicken looks to be nearly cooked through (you will still see pink shining through the cooked parts of the chicken), place it also on a cookie sheet and pop it in the 400 degree oven. Cook it for 4 minutes.
6) Take chicken out and put dabs of goat cheese along the top. Put the chicken back in the oven for another 1-2 minutes, or until the center is 165 degrees. Once it is, you can take it out.
7) Generously spread the tops and bottoms of buns with pepper jelly. This is going to be to taste--if you love pepper jelly, then go to town. If you've never had it before, I would spread a bit on the bun to sample it.
8) Compile your sandwich--the goat cheese coated chicken goes on the bottom bun and then top it with delicious, crispy bacon. Serve with your favorite side: pictured above is my pepper jack mac 'n cheese. So much for trying to be healthy!
A few notes:
1) Using a cast-iron grill pan may cause lots of smoke in your kitchen, so put on a fan or open a window. I use this brand of cast-iron grills: https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8GP3-Cast-Grill-10-25-inch/dp/B0046EBYPQ/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1514651992&sr=8-14&keywords=cast+iron+grill+pan+lodge
2) Using a grill pan won't impart that lovely smoky flavor that an outdoor grill will. It will give you grill lines and set the chicken above any grease so that the chicken grills more effectively.
You see, boneless skinless chicken breasts take a lot to make them flavorful. Restaurants and home cooks alike tend to overcook them, reducing them to flavorless slabs. I've marinated, baked, poached, and boiled them, but I have to say that the best way to eat them is blackened and grilled.
That's why, when I found this sandwich, I was delighted to have an alternative that was juicy, smoky, and not a burger. It also allowed me to indulge in two of my favorite foods: goat cheese and pepper jelly.
This sandwich is a take on a popular one down south. The chicken is grilled, juicy, and spicy, the goat cheese is melted and creamy; the bacon adds a needed crunch and saltiness, and the pepper jelly is sharp and sweet all at once. The best thing about the sandwich is that it only takes about 20 minutes to make, meaning that you won't have to remember to marinade chicken or watch over a pot of poaching chicken on a weekday night.
I make these sandwiches with thin-cut chicken breasts for two reasons. First, they are more sandwich friendly, as I don't have to chew through tons of chicken and second, they cook faster on the grill pan and then in the oven. I also cook the bacon in the oven because I don't have to watch another pan on the stove and it gets far crispier.
Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, butterflied. Or, if you can find them at the store, thin-cut chicken breasts.
1 tube of plain goat cheese (about half the tube, divded)
1/4 cup of pepper jelly, divided (so two tablespoons for one bun and two for the other), or pepper jelly to taste
Soft potato rolls
4 slices of bacon.
A mixture of your favorite blackening seasons. Admittedly, this is eye-balled based on my own pantry's current offerings and how spicy I want it. I usually use a mixture of: paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, dried powdered thyme, black pepper, and salt.
Directions:
1) Place 4 strips of bacon on a cookie sheet that's lined with parchment. Season them to taste with black pepper.
2) Put them in the oven and turn on the oven to 400 degrees. You don't preheat the oven beforehand because you want the bacon fat to be slowly rendered out. Ovens vary, but mine usually get crisp in 15-20 minutes.
3) Dry off the chicken breast. Rub the seasonings into both sides of the chicken.
4) Pre-heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium high heat. If necessary (as in, you are still breaking in your cast iron pan), add a small bit of oil. Once hot, place the chicken down on the grill. Keep an eye on it. When it looks like the bottom 1/3 of the chicken is white and cooked through flip it. For my stove, this takes about 2-3 minutes. Repeat for the other side.
5) Once the chicken looks to be nearly cooked through (you will still see pink shining through the cooked parts of the chicken), place it also on a cookie sheet and pop it in the 400 degree oven. Cook it for 4 minutes.
6) Take chicken out and put dabs of goat cheese along the top. Put the chicken back in the oven for another 1-2 minutes, or until the center is 165 degrees. Once it is, you can take it out.
7) Generously spread the tops and bottoms of buns with pepper jelly. This is going to be to taste--if you love pepper jelly, then go to town. If you've never had it before, I would spread a bit on the bun to sample it.
8) Compile your sandwich--the goat cheese coated chicken goes on the bottom bun and then top it with delicious, crispy bacon. Serve with your favorite side: pictured above is my pepper jack mac 'n cheese. So much for trying to be healthy!
A few notes:
1) Using a cast-iron grill pan may cause lots of smoke in your kitchen, so put on a fan or open a window. I use this brand of cast-iron grills: https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L8GP3-Cast-Grill-10-25-inch/dp/B0046EBYPQ/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1514651992&sr=8-14&keywords=cast+iron+grill+pan+lodge
2) Using a grill pan won't impart that lovely smoky flavor that an outdoor grill will. It will give you grill lines and set the chicken above any grease so that the chicken grills more effectively.
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