Chipotle Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich

I have a confession to make… I am a Pinterest addict! I have never  found a website that I couldn’t easily click away from, until now. I am constantly inspired by many wonderful ideas that I find on there. This sandwich is a product of my Pinterest addiction. Within about an hour of pinning the “Spicy Hawaiian Burger” I had over 20 repins. So, I figured should get in the kitchen and make my version of it. I did alter the recipe somewhat, to the ingredients I had on hand, and it turned out fabulous!  Have a marvelous Monday my friends!

My quote for the day: “For every 60 seconds you spend angry, results in 1 minute of happiness you will never get back” unknown

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup lower sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of Seasoned Salt (I used Tony Chachere’s)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 3 scallions sliced (green and white parts)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 4 slices of pepper jack cheese
• 8 pineapple slices
• 1 whole Cuban loaf
• Romaine lettuce for garnish
• 1/4 cup olive oil mayo (optional)

Directions:

• In a large zip-tip bag combine soy sauce and the following 8 ingredients, thru the chipotle powder.
• Place the chicken in between layers of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until about 1/2″ thickness.Add the chicken to the marinade and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so.
• Heat a skillet to medium-high heat, remove chicken from marinade and coat with non-stick spray. Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side (or until done) add a slice of cheese to each piece of chicken.
• After removing the chicken from the pan add the pineapple and cook for about 3 minutes per side.
• Slice bread in half, smear bottom of bread with mayo, add lettuce, chicken & cheese, pineapple slices.
• Wha La!Sit back and enjoy this most delicious sandwich!

This recipe was adapted from Homemade by Holman

 

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork & Citrus Slaw Sandwich’s

As I was looking through my previous posts I realized that I must be on some sort of pasta or chicken kick. I do love both pasta and chicken, but we eat so much more. So I must share with you some of the things we eat on a regular basis. Pulled pork is a staple here at our home. When I discovered how easy is was to throw in the slow cooker and how scrumptious the results were, it became a regular on our menu. I might have made this too many times last year. It was the main course at all of the birthday party’s in which I was the hostess. This pork is easily prepared, cooked and pulled ahead of time, the slaw is just as easy. Therefore, this is a great dish to prepare when you are expecting a crowd or contributing to a potluck.

For some of you the idea of putting cole slaw on your Bar-B-Que sandwich is nothing short of absurd. Let me enlighten you, I can recall the first time I saw this odd combination on a menu (many, many moons ago). I ordered the pork, sans the slaw. There was NO WAY I wanted to ruin my lunch that way. It was several years later before I actually tried cole slaw on my pork sandwich, and that was all she wrote. I was hooked, and to this day if I am eating a pulled pork sandwich you had better believe there is slaw of some sort on it. There is something wonderful about the  crunch, creaminess, and sweetness that the slaw adds, and how it  pairs up with the spicy bar-b-que (if you like the heat) sauce and meatiness of the sandwich. This is one of my all-time top 5 sandwiches.

On a totally different note. It has been brought to my attention that I need to include serving sizes, in my recipes. I will make a huge attempt to include as much information as I can. Again, the whole measuring thing is anything but my thing. But, I will try 🙂 Also, I always try to make my recipes so that you can easily double or divide the amounts. If the cooking/baking time requires adjustment, I will add that as well. I know that some of you are cooking for 1 or 2 and some are cooking for 6-8, so I am trying to accommodate everyone!

Below are the instructions on the meat and slaw. Once everything is prepared. Pile the pork onto a fresh bun, top the meat with your favorite sauce, mine is Stubbs’s Spicy, and then finish with the slaw! Good vittles!

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

Serves 8-10

• 7 lbs. Boston Butt bone-in (I get two 3 to 3 1/2 lbs. pieces of meat)
• 2 Tablespoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt or Everglades Seasoning
• 4 cups water
• 8 split buns

Directions

• Rub seasoning into meat
• Place meat into slow-cooker, the side with the most fat should face up.
• Add water, cover and cook on high for about 5 hours.
• Move meat into a large pan. Remove bone and large pieces of fat. I don’t shred the meat because I prefer the large chunks of meat. If you like use two forks or a pair of tongs and pull meat apart.

Citrus Slaw

•  1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 celery seed
• generous 1/2 cup of light canola mayo
• 1/3 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 black pepper
• 16 oz. shredded coleslaw mix (with red cabbage & carrots)
• 3/4 cup mandarin oranges
• 1 Tablespoon juice from mandarin oranges

Directions

•  In a large sealable container, whisk together all ingredients except slaw mix and oranges.
•  Add cabbage mix, toss well.
•  Gently fold in oranges.
•  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Granny Smith’s White Cheddar Chicken Burger

Happy Labor Day to all of you hard workers out there! I hope everyone is enjoying their day, eating some delicious food and staying safe! Remember to take a moment and show some gratitude to those in your life who work diligently, day in and day out.

This year instead of grilling the usual beef hamburgers, I decided to put a twist to my Labor Day menu. When you first look at the combination of ingredients you might wonder what I was thinking when I put this together. This is not your everyday burger, it is much better. This sandwich provides a healthy and fresh approach to an old classic. The meaty chicken burger is savory and sweet, with loads of flavor. When you add the tart and crisp apple, sweet raspberry sauce, sharp white cheddar cheese and the bite that the grainy-horseradish mustard brings to the sandwich, you have burger bliss!

For my fellow football lovers, this is a big week with the regular season starting Thursday!! I am working on some recipes that will be perfect for munching on while watching the games 🙂 What are your favorite foods to eat while watching your favorite sport?

Granny Smith’s White Cheddar Chicken Burger

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground chicken breasts

4 scallions finely chopped, white & green parts

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 tablespoon grill seasoning (I recommend Weber Gourmet Burger Seasoning or McCormick Spicy Montreal Grill Mates)

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (McCormick Montreal Chicken)

1 tablespoon canola mayo (or whatever you use)

olive oil for drizzling pan or wiping grill

1 granny smith apple cut into 8 pieces

4 slices Vermont white cheddar

1/4 cup seedless red raspberry spreadable fruit

2-4 tablespoons deli-syle mustard with horseradish

4 onion kaiser rolls

4 romaine lettuce leaves

Directions

Combine the chicken, scallions, seasonings, and mayo. Form into four equal sized patties and put into the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Heat  a large skillet over medium high heat, when skillet is hot drizzle with olive oil and add the burgers and reduce heat to medium. Cook 6-8 minutes per side, only flipping once. Since this is chicken and not beef check the temperature to ensure doneness, the center of the patty should reach 165 F.

Top burgers with  2 apple slices and cheddar cheese and cover until the cheese is melted.

Spread mustard on buns, add lettuce and burgers, top with the raspberry sauce. Enjoy!

* If you prefer turkey instead of chicken you could swap out the meat and cranberry sauce for the raspberry 🙂