"Go To" Chicken Sandwiches

I asked a question to Patch readers on Friday – what is your “Go To” meal? I got a lot of responses so I am asking it again to see how many more I can get.

The majority of the answers were egg, or breakfast for dinner meals – that was always my mother’s “Go To” meal. I haven’t thought of breakfast for dinner in a while, so thank you for refreshing my memory.

My family is getting omelets for dinner one night this week for sure. But there were many other great, easy meals and I will compile them and put them in a future column. Maybe someone else’s “Go To” will give you a new dinner idea or remind you of something you haven’t made in a while.

My favorite answer was “Take out, of course” submitted by my friend Jennifer! Yes, that is a good one! So keep your answers coming either by commenting here, emailing me directly or posting it on Chelmsford Patch's facebook page. We moms can really help each out with our ideas.

This week’s recipe is one of my “Go To” dinners because the ingredients are easy to get and preparation is quick and easy. I use a grocery store rotisserie chicken, take the meat off the bones and the sandwich is almost already made. I use my George Foreman Grill to grill it but you can use a skillet instead.  

I add different ingredients to the sandwich depending on what I have on hand or can easily get. One daughter prefers her sandwich with grilled peppers and onions and sliced Colby Jack cheese. My other daughter prefers hers with pesto spread on it and fresh mozzarella cheese.

We also love jarred roasted red peppers and feta cheese. Lately I have been using Scali bread, but I have also used ciabatta bread and both keep well in the freezer so you can have it on hand. Once the meat is off the bones and the grill is on the counter, my late arrivals can even make their own sandwich whenever their day is done. This allows me more time to “run around town” since softball has started again and I have 2 daughters and one husband playing.

Ingredients

1 grocery store rotisserie chicken – remove the meat from the bones

Loaf of scali bread, or ciabatta, or anything you like that is suitable for grilling

Sandwich #1

1 large bell pepper, green or any color you like, sliced into strips

1 medium onion – halved, then quartered and then sliced into strips

Sauté the peppers and onions until desired tenderness. See below for further instructions on sautéing the peppers and onions. *

Sliced Colby Jack cheese, or sliced or shredded cheddar, or swiss, or provolone – whatever you have or whatever you like

Sandwich #2

Prepared pesto – you can usually find this by the fresh pasta

Fresh Mozzarella – sliced

Tomato slices

Sandwich #3

1 Jar of roasted red pepper

Feta cheese

Remove the chicken meat from the chicken bones and break it up the meat a little so it is easy to lie on the bread without falling off.  I put one piece of bread on the grill then begin my stacking. Stack on the ingredients of your choice. Use a George Foreman Grill, or a Panini grill or just a skillet to grill your sandwich. Once all the ingredients are on, top this with another piece of bread. If using a skillet, put something heavy on the sandwich while grilling the sandwich so the sandwich heats through. Maybe use a pot or a heavy plate or bowl.

*There are a couple of ways to cook the peppers and onions. If you are short on time, you can cut them up and put in a microwave dish. Rinse and drain very well. Microwave on high 3 minutes, stir and then microwave for 3 more minutes or until desired tenderness. But my favorite way is the following.  This will take about 10-15 minutes of prep and a half hour cooking.

Cut peppers and onions into strips. Put in a skillet and sauté peppers and onions on high until they are a little, but evenly browned AND there is a little burnt on the bottom of pan. Stir frequently. This flavors the pan. Then turn down to medium - medium low and don’t let brown but not burn. Continue to cook and stir frequently for a total of a half hour of cooking, or until they reach your desired tenderness. If they start sticking to the pan and burning, you can add a little olive oil, or just turn down the heat even more.

Email me, or post a comment and let me know what one of your “Go To” recipes is, even if it is scrambled eggs. Maybe I can feature it one week and give you the credit. We can help each other with these answers, because there may be one among us who hasn’t thought of cereal for dinner, or just needs to hear that it is ok to serve cereal for dinner.