Devoured Jan. 28, 2013
These days, discovering lovely little dishes from the internet is as simple as crushing a fun-sized Milky Way in one memorable bite. Yet the art of perfecting a personalized recipe drives me. If I actually had a decent kitchen with the ability to afford plenty of ingredients, most of my nights would produce completely awful entrées. So long as 5% of those meals registered on the not-so-gross scale, though, I’d be a happy boy.
Somehow, perfecting my chicken sandwich did not take a drastically long time. On just the second attempt, the recipe was finalized.
As I have illustrated before, it starts with the bread. Inspired by experience at my first real job, I stayed away from just buying buns and fashioned bread dough into a round baking pan before sprinkling mozzarella and oregano on top. While that was taking place, my chicken was soaking up all the flavors of barbeque sauce, red pepper, oregano and garlic in the refrigerator.
When both ventured out of the oven, the aromas in the kitchen have the ability to knock one on their bum. I promptly turned the bread over, placed the chicken on top and united it with bacon, mozzarella and a little more of the red pepper BBQ sauce. After letting that get happy in the oven for a couple minutes, I folded one side of the bread on top of the chicken.
Every single time I have constructed this beauty I find myself wanting even more when finished. There are numerous taste buds bursting with each bite.
And the best part is there are several substitutions to make to change the sandwich up to fit one’s needs and desires. Marinating it in buffalo or Alfredo sauce or grilling the chicken and adding condiments, for instance, is definitely doable.
What You’ll Need for Two Sandwiches
Bread Dough (Bag of bread dough by the bakery from Publix is perfect and provides enough for two sandwiches)
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Bacon
Barbeque Sauce (Preferably Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar)
Shredded Mozzarella
Red Pepper Flakes
Garlic Powder
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
The Steps
1) Use fresh chicken for best results, and clean the chicken on the cutting board.
2) In a pan or bowl, pour in half a bottle of BBQ sauce and add oregano, garlic powder (since it’s easier) and however much red pepper you’d like, along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3) Add the chicken and poke holes in it so the sauce really gets in there while it marinates for about 20-30 minutes.
4) While that is taking place, maneuver the bread dough into an 8-inch round baking dish. Lightly put mozzarella and oregano on top.
5) Cook the chicken in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I like to put aluminum foil on top.
6) You can cook the bread as well with the chicken but keep an eye on it. I start on the top rack for about 15 minutes and move it to the bottom rack until the cheese on top is golden brown.
7) Pull both out of the oven. Flip the bread over and place 1.5 chicken breasts on one half of the sandwich. Add bacon, mozzarella and extra of the BBQ sauce mix on top and let it melt in the oven.
8) After five minutes in the oven, fold the empty half over and cut it down the middle to make a sandwich.
9) Wreck it.
Toast My Buns 