I am often asked ‘If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?’ Now let’s be clear I am not a fan of this question. After all who in their right mind would want to limit food choices. I want to eat a variety of things and so I often declare the question impossible to answer and give them three cuisines I could live on (Italian, Chinese & North African). However I do think that if I had to be limited to one type of meat then I would have to choose chicken. Chicken for me reigns supreme and is ultimately so versatile that it can be prepared in almost any cuisine. So here is a recipe that lets the chicken be the star, my Grilled Chicken Sandwich.
Chicken sandwich means different things to different people. It conjures up images of deep fried chicken for some, others prefer a roast chicken sandwich. For me it means that I am in for a good meal as a chicken sandwich is hard to get wrong in any of it’s guises. Here I have decided not to go to the effort of deep frying. Instead I went for a low fuss method of my trusty griddle pan. Just give the chicken a quick bath in seasoned oil whilst you whip up an aioli, then griddle, let rest as you toast buns and sort toppings, build that sandwich.
Now you will notice that I have included Cider Vinegar in my oil marinade. This does not make the chicken taste of vinegar at all, rather it helps tenderise the meat ensuring a soft moist chicken breast. You also do not need to leave this to marinate for hours and hours or prep it the night before. Instead you just need to let it sit in the oil vinegar and seasoning for 10 minutes. Coincidentally that gives you enough time to make the aioli – almost like I planned it.
Making aioli is not too difficult at all, I have a couple of tips. For me I use a small food ‘chopper’ or mini processor. I also try to have my egg yolks at room temperature. I whizz up the egg yolks, salt, garlic, lemon juice and basil leaves to combine, then it’s a case of keeping the food processor on whilst drizzling in the oil. Now all oils are different and taste different, some are more bitter than others. You do have to play around and find the right ones for you. This aioli has the same flavour profile as pesto and who doesn’t love pesto and chicken?
The seasoning I use is very very simple, just dried oregano with salt and pepper. This gently flavours the chicken allowing it’s own flavour to shine through. It is very easy to use chicken as a vehicle for many different spices and flavourings. If you pile on so many notes I feel you lose the flavour of the chicken. Therefore I have gone with the simple Olive Oil, Oregano, Salt and Pepper with Apple Cider Vinegar. This does have a slight hint of Greek cuisine and I, for one, am very happy with that.
I think chicken is a wonderfully versatile ingredient. In fact I have a number of chicken recipes already on the blog.
Which is your favourite of these recipes? For me it depends what kind of comfort I am after. Food and cooking for me is comforting and a way of de-stressing. Of course there is a certain amount of joy I get from feeding people and let me tell you if you serve people my Grilled Chicken Sandwich then you will see joy.
I would love to know what you think of this Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Let me know in the comments below. If you try them I’d love to see your pictures tag me on Instagram @cubbinthekitchen or use the #CUBBintheKitchen for a chance to be featured in my stories.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 Large Chicken Breast or 2 small fillets
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 0.5 tsp Pepper
- 0.5 tsp Salt
For the Basil Aioli
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Salt
- Handful of Basil Leaves approx. 4 tbsp finely chopped
- 75 ml Olive Oil
- 75 ml Avocado Oil
Serve with toasted Bread Rolls, Lettuce & Tomato
Instructions
- In a bowl combine 3 tbsp Olive Oil, Cider Vinegar, Oregano, Salt and Pepper and whisk. If using 1 large breast slice into 2 portions. And place into the bowl of seasoned oil. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- To Make the Basil Aioli1 – Place the Egg Yolks, Garlic, Lemon Juice, Salt, & Basil Leaves in a food processor and pulse to combine.2 – In a jug mix together the Olive Oil and Avocado Oil.3 – Turn the food processor on and drizzle in the Oil slowly, process until the aioli forms (this should take about 1 minute)4 – Scrape the sides and whizz again for 20 seconds or so.5 – Decant into an airtight jar and stash in the fridge.
- Heat up a griddle pan and place the chicken on and cook until cooked through, turning occasionally.
- Once cooked place the chicken on a plate to rest for 5 minutes.During this time you can toast your bun on the griddle pan and slice the tomato and cut the lettuce.
- Build that sandwich and apply to face.
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