BBQ Chicken Open Faced Sandwich

I bought a beautiful loaf of french bread at the farmer's market and well, it was just so beautiful I almost didn't want to eat it. Well, I got over that - notice I said almost - and decided to make a good ol'rib sticking sandwich.

Honestly, I didn't really have a final result in mind when I started to put it together (really I just kind of cleaned out the fridge and put it all on this sandwich)! But, my husband loved it, so the end result was a winner! Sometimes the best recipes just sort of create themselves and you just have to go with it and never look back (oh, unless you look back for seconds - then it's ok)

What you need to round up:

1 loaf of french bread

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

(Ok - so the BBQ sauce I used wasn't my favorite - I'm a Sweet Baby Ray's kinda gal)

Chicken broth

4 Tablespoons cream cheese

2 green onions

Red pepper flakes

An appetite!

It's so easy, here we go!

Place chicken breasts in baking dish

Preheat your oven to 375

Pour chicken broth over the breasts until the dish is about an inch full

Pour your 1 cup of BBQ sauce over and spread evenly

Bake in oven for about 25 minutes or until it reaches at least 165 degrees internally

In the meantime ...

Slice that beautiful loaf in half lengthwise

Chop your green onions

Spread 2 Tablespoons of cream cheese on each half of the loaf

Scatter green onions on top of the cream cheese

When your chicken is done - let it cool until it is touchable and chop it into cubes

Also, when your chicken is done - turn the oven up to 400

I know - not a pretty picture - it's just a messy process!

Top the bread with chicken cubes

My tummy is growling ...

Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top

Admire for a minute - then put those babies in the oven!

Bake at 400 for about 5 minutes

Switch the oven to broil and go another 5 minutes or until it gets slightly brown & bubbly

Let it cool for a few minutes - then cut off a hunk and enjoy

It is also really good topped with Baker's Favorite Coleslaw!

Oh yeah - pile it on!

And ... don't make this for a first date because eating it is um ... messy to say the least

Creamy Cajun Chicken

Nothing says comfort food like slathering it in cheese! Am I wrong? No! So I brought you an easy, mouth watering dish your whole family will love. Casual enough to serve your kids, and delicious enough to serve your guests. This is loosely based on the Muffaletta sandwich of the New Orleans, but healthier and easier!

This recipe is best done on the BBQ or smoker. But, can be baked at about 350 if needed. Just know, baking will sacrifice the flavor of the grill!

What do you need?
4 chicken breasts
Garlic salt
Cajun seasoning (can substitute cayenne and chili powder)
Fresh ground black pepper

Lightly dust each side of chicken breast with spices
Throw on the grill, medium heat. If using the smoker, smoke on each side 10 minutes, then turn to medium.

Grill or bake until each piece of meat has reached 175 degrees. Some people like to base a recipe on time, but I am all about temperature. You will save yourself from risk of food borne illness and/or overcooked meat.

The sauce:
8 oz cream cheese
2  T Muffaletta spread
Don't have access to jar of Muffaletta spread? Easy! Chop green olives!

1/2 c milk
1/4 t garlic salt
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
Over medium heat add milk and cream cheese to saucepan.

As cheese melts, stir frequently.
Add Muffaletta spread, spices, and continue to stir.
 
When melted and mixed evenly, turn to low heat and stir occasionally while you wait for your meat to cook.
Once done, top meat with sauce. Serve with salad, baked potatoes, or your favorite side.

My Big Fat Greek Burger

I was trying to figure out what to do with the leftover sun dried tomatoes in my fridge. I also had a jar of diced green olives ... I must be in the mood for burgers lately because this combo is what inspired me to create My Big Fat Greek Burger! The moist burger is topped with caramelized balsamic onions and eaten over broiled garlic bread or a bed of lettuce.

The Burger:
1-2 lbs ground beef or ground lamb
1 egg
1 c finely chopped sun dried tomatoes
3 heaping spoons of diced green olives
1 T dried basil
1/2 t cumin
Sea salt & pepper to taste
Feta cheese sliced
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a big spoon. Form into patties, leaving a dent or thumb print on the top (this prevents a puffing/dome shaped burger that results from steam being trapped inside).
Cook burgers on BBQ or like I do on our Traeger Smoker on medium heat.

In the meantime, prepare the onions!

The Caramelized Balsamic Onions:

1 medium onion diced
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t sea salt
Heat extra virgin olive oil in skillet over medium heat
Add onions, salt, pepper
Cover and cook for about 5 minutes
Uncover and let the sauteing begin

Saute, stirring frequently until the onions begin to be tender and brown, this will take 20-25 minutes
Remove from heat and stir in balsamic
Serve hot or cold over burger

They are done!

Now that the onions are done ... time for bread (if you want it - otherwise eat over bed of lettuce)

The Bread:

Slice of your favorite bread
Spread on butter (I love Brummel & Brown yogurt butter)
Sprinkle on cumin, garlic, onion salt
Broil until lightly crisp

When the burger reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees, place a slice of feta cheese on top and cook until it reaches 160 degrees.

Great as leftovers for your lunch tomorrow! :)

Aloha Teriyaki Chicken Chi Chis!

Our friend Brian brought us a pineapple this weekend. I thought about grilling it, thought about throwing it in some yogurt, but adding bacon to it really couldn't be argued with. I cooked mine on our Traeger smoker grill. But this can be done on the BBQ on medium heat, or even in the oven.

The Bird:

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 pineapple, sliced into small chunks
6 slices bacon, sliced into small pieces
2 slices Swiss cheese

Pepper

Garlic Salt
Ginger (ground)

The Sauce:
Part of pineapple/bacon mixture (I'll tell you more later!)
1/4 c teriyaki sauce
1 t garlic salt

1/4 t ginger (ground)
1 T honey

1 t extra virgin olive oil

What else:

Toothpicks ... you're going to need the toothpicks!

Chop up the half pineapple into small chunks

Do the same with the bacon

Throw the bacon in a pan, medium heat, cook for 5 mintues

Add the pineapple and cook another 5 minutes

You will use about half of this mixture inside your chicken and half for the sauce

 

Slice chicken breast along the side of the breast, we'll call it "hot dog bun style"

Scoop a few heaping spoonfuls of the mixture in the fold of the chicken

Fold the top half of the chicken over and toothpick it into place
Season the chicken with a light dusting of fresh cracked black pepper, ground ginger, and garlic salt

If using Traeger: preheat on medium setting

If using BBQ: preheat to medium
If using oven: preheat to 350 degrees

Throw that chicken on the grill!

In the meantime, your bacon/pineapple mixture should be coming along nicely on medium heat

Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, bring to simmer

Turn heat down to low-medium and let the flavors mix

A chicken breast is safe to eat at the internal tempreature of 170 degrees, some like to let it go to 180 degrees, so it's your call
Depending on your cooking method (Traegar, bbq, oven) and the size of your breasts (I know, it's a personal question!) your chicken could take anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes

I really recommend going by temp over minutes to get it right

When your chicken reaches 165 degrees, throw the slice of Swiss cheese on it and let it melt (my favorite part!)

Top with sauce and enjoy!

Healthy twist: Don't add the sauce! You can even skimp on the cheese, but I think it's a sin

I said enjoy right?