The Classics: Knife and Fork Chicken Parmesan Sandwich
0I almost never make the same thing twice. Perhaps it is because the ever-growing pile of cookbooks and magazines in my kitchen creates a minor level of anxiety that “I don’t have time to make that again!!! Do you have any idea how many recipes there are in the world??”
And yet, as I look at the search terms that consistently drive people to Shut Up & Cook, it’s the same few items over and over again.
- “white sauce for fish tacos” or “fish taco white sauce”
- “quinoa with feta“
- “duck choo chee“
There are also the slightly ridiculous search terms. A few favorites include:
- “shut up and cook chili”
- “how to pronounce seared”
- “big butt cupcakes” (isn’t that awesome?)
So yesterday when I was starving and thinking about what to make, what I really wanted was a good ‘ol fashioned Chicken Parmesan Sandwich. And without fail, the little voice in my head went off, “You can’t make that!! You just got a new Food & Wine. Do you have any idea how EASY and BORING that is?!?!”
Fortunately for me, sheer hunger took over as did our impending trip to Ikea and I threw my culinary snobbery to the wind, grabbed the bag of prepared Chicken Tenders from our freezer (yes, gasp, I know) and made a massively delicious sandwich.
To be fair, I dressed it up with slow roasted tomatoes and cilantro pesto, but it was still damn easy and damn good.
Sometimes we need to remember it’s okay to stick with the classics, and not always reinvent the wheel…remind me of that when I forget, would you please?
Knife and Fork Chicken Parmesan Sandwich
As the name implies, this is definitely a knife and fork sandwich. Delicious with a glass of red wine such as a Syrah.
Serves 2.
- 4- 6 Breaded Chicken Tenders, pending on size. Costco has some good options here
- 2 Ciabatta rolls, cut in half
- Cilantro Pesto – Recipe coming soon or store-bought would be fine
- Slow Roasted Tomatoes – Recipe coming soon or store-bought would be fine
- 2 Slices Mozzarella
- Handful of Arugula
- Preheat oven to 450. On a cookie sheet lined with foil place tenders and cook for 20 minutes until beginning to brown. Turn half-way through.
- Meanwhile, spread approximately 2 TB pesto on the top half of each ciabatta. Top with a slice of mozzarella. Spread approximately 1/4 cup slow roasted tomatoes on the bottom half of each ciabatta.
- Pull the cookie sheet from the oven, and leaving the chicken tenders on there, add the bread next to the tenders, with the pesto/cheese and tomatoes facing up.
- Add back to the oven and cook until bread is toasted and cheese is bubbling. About 10 minutes.
- To assemble sandwiches take the bottoms, add the chicken tenders, add a handful of arugula, and top with the upper halves.
- Enjoy with a knife and fork!
Category Comfort Foods, Sandwiches | Tags: arugula, chicken parmesan, costco, mozzarella, pesto, roasted tomatoes
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