I made this totally incredible meal of sandwiches for Mark and Ben last weekend. You will not believe the flavor that is packed into an open-faced sandwich when you invite onions, chicken, and lemon to the party!
It's sort of like that song from High School Musical, "Each of us brings something to the table. We make each other strong." I'm not actually sure which song that's from because I was never an actual fan of HSM, but I remember some of the better quotes! The power-combo of onion spread that is better than mayo (see previous post), chicken cooked in garlic oil, and a generous lemon's worth of juice creates something that is more than the sum of its parts. So, let's get to the recipes!!
The basis of any good sandwich is its bread. This is my favorite bread recipe. I do not own this, and the version you see has been slightly adapted by me, but the original recipe belongs to the East Hill Farm kitchens.
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups warm water
1 package rapid rise or other awesome (and not dead) yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp canola oil or good olive oil
3 ½ and then ½ cups flour
Combine everything except the flour. Let sit for ten minutes to activate the yeast. You know the yeast has been activated, and is not dead, because it will sort of bubble and look like it is blooming. Hard to describe, but you'll know it when you see it! For the water, what we usually do is microwave cold water so that it is extra-warm but not hot to the touch. If your yeast mixture does not change at all, throw out everything and start over again with new yeast -- this means that your yeast was dead.
When your yeast has bloomed after 10 minutes: Add 3 ½ cups flour and mix well with floured hands.
Sprinkle remaining ½ cup flour onto work surface. Place dough onto floured surface and knead until elastic and not sticky. The expression "soft as a baby's bottom" has been compared to what your dough is supposed to be like in texture. But don't over-think this one; it just takes a couple of practice loaves before you will be an old pro at kneading and knowing when the dough is kneaded perfectly! And the more you practice, the more bread there is to eat :)
Place dough in a well greased 4 by 8 bread pan and let rise for 30 minutes. I like to put a towel over the top of the bread. In the mean time, you will need to count backwards from that 30 minutes in order to preheat the oven and have it be preheated by the time the bread is perfectly risen.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. If you are unsure of your oven temp, it never hurts to leave the bread in for an extra 5 minutes or so, as long as the top is not burning.
In the mean time, use the free time to make brownies!!!
Best Ever Brownies, Adapted from an unknown recipe ages and ages ago, which may or may not have been the side of a package of Domino Sugar.
1 stick butter
1 1/8 cups sugar
½ and 1/8 cups cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 cup Mott's unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
This batter can sit on the counter or in the fridge for a while while your bread bakes with no issues :-)
Now make the Better-Than-Mayo, see previous post, using onions, butter, and good olive oil.
While that simmers away, make the Chicken!
-approx 2 lbs chicken breasts sliced thinly in the package, or chicken breast tenders
-2 cloves of garlic
-olive oil for cooking
-salt
-1 lemon
Instructions:
Make sure the chicken is cleaned, with no tendons or fat still attached. And especially no skin, yuck. Cut into smaller pieces if desired. Smaller pieces cook faster. I like to cut the pieces in half on the bias.
Coat the pan with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Slice the garlic into large slices. Put a tester piece of garlic into the oil so that when it starts sizzling, you know it's time to add the rest of the garlic. Cook all of the garlic for about 2 minutes. When some of it is just starting to get golden brown, remove all of it from the pan. Discard.
Still keep the pan over medium heat. Add the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with salt from the salt shaker. Cook on the first side until the white color is creeping up the edges visibly on the side that is facing up. Then use a spatula to flip the chicken to the other side. The chicken should start to look golden on both sides.
Once you have made both sides of the chicken golden, it is almost but not entirely cooked through. Get rid of the dirty spatula. Pick a new spatula or wooden spoon for serving. Add the lemon juice from your lemon. Turn the heat down to low. Cook for 5 more minutes, then cut into the largest pieces of chicken using a butter knife in order to see whether it is done in the middle.
I recommend cutting into a few of the larger pieces to make sure they are all cooked through. If it is taking more than 5 to 7 minutes to cook through, then turn the heat back up to medium and cook for several more minutes until not a trace of pink remains in the center of the chicken. No one wants to get food poisoning, so better a little overcooked than undercooked!
Broccoli in Marsala Butter Sauce:
Our favorite side dish!!! I'm sure this has been written up on the blog at least twice, but here we have it as part of another meal, so here ya go :)
Boil the water with the steamer basket in a large pot. When it has just come to a boil, add the broccoli (2 or 3 crowns), and cook for 2 to 4 minutes until just cooked through and fork-tender.
Take the steamer basket out of the water. Discard the water, and put the pot back on the stove. Add 1 to 2 tbsp butter and several splashes of Marsala wine. Turn the heat to medium low and let cook for a minute or 2 to cook out the alcohol from the wine. Add back the broccoli and cook over low for 5 minutes, or longer if you need to keep it warm until the rest of the meal is ready.
To assemble the sandwiches:
Slice the bread into 8 pieces. You will need 6 of the slices for this recipe.
Spread the Better-Than-Mayo onions and spoon some of the liquid from the pan onto the bottom of the bread. Layer several pieces of chicken. If you want, you can even add a few slices of cheddar cheese. Put into a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes to ensure that everything is the same temperature, and this will melt the optional cheese.
Serve with broccoli on the side and brownies for dessert!
BUON APPETITO :-)
It's sort of like that song from High School Musical, "Each of us brings something to the table. We make each other strong." I'm not actually sure which song that's from because I was never an actual fan of HSM, but I remember some of the better quotes! The power-combo of onion spread that is better than mayo (see previous post), chicken cooked in garlic oil, and a generous lemon's worth of juice creates something that is more than the sum of its parts. So, let's get to the recipes!!
The basis of any good sandwich is its bread. This is my favorite bread recipe. I do not own this, and the version you see has been slightly adapted by me, but the original recipe belongs to the East Hill Farm kitchens.
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups warm water
1 package rapid rise or other awesome (and not dead) yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp canola oil or good olive oil
3 ½ and then ½ cups flour
Combine everything except the flour. Let sit for ten minutes to activate the yeast. You know the yeast has been activated, and is not dead, because it will sort of bubble and look like it is blooming. Hard to describe, but you'll know it when you see it! For the water, what we usually do is microwave cold water so that it is extra-warm but not hot to the touch. If your yeast mixture does not change at all, throw out everything and start over again with new yeast -- this means that your yeast was dead.
When your yeast has bloomed after 10 minutes: Add 3 ½ cups flour and mix well with floured hands.
Sprinkle remaining ½ cup flour onto work surface. Place dough onto floured surface and knead until elastic and not sticky. The expression "soft as a baby's bottom" has been compared to what your dough is supposed to be like in texture. But don't over-think this one; it just takes a couple of practice loaves before you will be an old pro at kneading and knowing when the dough is kneaded perfectly! And the more you practice, the more bread there is to eat :)
Place dough in a well greased 4 by 8 bread pan and let rise for 30 minutes. I like to put a towel over the top of the bread. In the mean time, you will need to count backwards from that 30 minutes in order to preheat the oven and have it be preheated by the time the bread is perfectly risen.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. If you are unsure of your oven temp, it never hurts to leave the bread in for an extra 5 minutes or so, as long as the top is not burning.
In the mean time, use the free time to make brownies!!!
Best Ever Brownies, Adapted from an unknown recipe ages and ages ago, which may or may not have been the side of a package of Domino Sugar.
1 stick butter
1 1/8 cups sugar
½ and 1/8 cups cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 cup Mott's unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Melt butter most of the way.
- Add sugar to butter and stir to combine, whisking very thoroughly.
- Add applesauce and whisk again thoroughly.
- Add cocoa, salt, baking powder, vanilla.
- Add flour.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour into 9-inch circular or square pan that you have already prepared by greasing with butter.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 28 to 30 minutes.
This batter can sit on the counter or in the fridge for a while while your bread bakes with no issues :-)
Now make the Better-Than-Mayo, see previous post, using onions, butter, and good olive oil.
While that simmers away, make the Chicken!
-approx 2 lbs chicken breasts sliced thinly in the package, or chicken breast tenders
-2 cloves of garlic
-olive oil for cooking
-salt
-1 lemon
Instructions:
Make sure the chicken is cleaned, with no tendons or fat still attached. And especially no skin, yuck. Cut into smaller pieces if desired. Smaller pieces cook faster. I like to cut the pieces in half on the bias.
Coat the pan with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Slice the garlic into large slices. Put a tester piece of garlic into the oil so that when it starts sizzling, you know it's time to add the rest of the garlic. Cook all of the garlic for about 2 minutes. When some of it is just starting to get golden brown, remove all of it from the pan. Discard.
Still keep the pan over medium heat. Add the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with salt from the salt shaker. Cook on the first side until the white color is creeping up the edges visibly on the side that is facing up. Then use a spatula to flip the chicken to the other side. The chicken should start to look golden on both sides.
Once you have made both sides of the chicken golden, it is almost but not entirely cooked through. Get rid of the dirty spatula. Pick a new spatula or wooden spoon for serving. Add the lemon juice from your lemon. Turn the heat down to low. Cook for 5 more minutes, then cut into the largest pieces of chicken using a butter knife in order to see whether it is done in the middle.
I recommend cutting into a few of the larger pieces to make sure they are all cooked through. If it is taking more than 5 to 7 minutes to cook through, then turn the heat back up to medium and cook for several more minutes until not a trace of pink remains in the center of the chicken. No one wants to get food poisoning, so better a little overcooked than undercooked!
Broccoli in Marsala Butter Sauce:
Our favorite side dish!!! I'm sure this has been written up on the blog at least twice, but here we have it as part of another meal, so here ya go :)
Boil the water with the steamer basket in a large pot. When it has just come to a boil, add the broccoli (2 or 3 crowns), and cook for 2 to 4 minutes until just cooked through and fork-tender.
Take the steamer basket out of the water. Discard the water, and put the pot back on the stove. Add 1 to 2 tbsp butter and several splashes of Marsala wine. Turn the heat to medium low and let cook for a minute or 2 to cook out the alcohol from the wine. Add back the broccoli and cook over low for 5 minutes, or longer if you need to keep it warm until the rest of the meal is ready.
To assemble the sandwiches:
Slice the bread into 8 pieces. You will need 6 of the slices for this recipe.
Spread the Better-Than-Mayo onions and spoon some of the liquid from the pan onto the bottom of the bread. Layer several pieces of chicken. If you want, you can even add a few slices of cheddar cheese. Put into a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes to ensure that everything is the same temperature, and this will melt the optional cheese.
Serve with broccoli on the side and brownies for dessert!
BUON APPETITO :-)