Pulled Chicken Sandwich

For the Rub:
1 T. each garlic powder, brown sugar, and chili powder

For the Chicken:
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
4 chicken thighs, skin removed
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 c. Barbecue sauce
4 kaiser rolls, toasted

For the Barbecue Sauce:
1 c. ketchup
1/3 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 T. yellow mustard
1 T. lemon juice
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 t. soy sauce
1 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. each kosher salt and black pepper

For the Apple Cucumber Slaw:
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. cider vinegar
2 T. sugar
2 t. prepared horseradish
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 c. thinly sliced cucumber rounds
1 granny smith apple, cored, quartered, and thinly sliced
1/2 c. thin cut strips red bell pepper
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

For the Barbecue Sauce:
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

For the Apple Cucumber Slaw:
Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, horseradish, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
Toss with cucumber, apple, bell pepper, and parsley. Chill slaw until ready to serve, at least 30 minutes.

For the Chicken:
Preheat grill to medium high heat.
Combine garlic powder, brown sugar, chili powder, salt and thyme for the rub in a small bowl.
Place chicken breast and thighs on a large tray and toss with oil. Pat rub mixture on chicken until pieces are thoroughly coated.
Reduce heat on one side of the grill to low. Grill breast and thighs, covered, over low heat until chicken browns and crisps, about 10 minutes. Use tongs to flip chicken over. Continue grilling until chicken breast reaches an internal temperature of 165 and thigh reach an internal temperature of 175. Transfer chicken to a large bowl.
Shred chicken using two forks to pull apart meat while it's still hot, discarding bones from chicken thighs. Add barbecue sauce to bowl with shredded chicken; stir until chicken is coated. Divide meat evenly among four rolls. Top each sandwich with apple cucumber slaw.

Makes 4 sandwiches. Total time 45 minutes.

Verdict:
We ate these twice in a week. I used the short cut version though...Instead of cooking the chicken I used a rotisserie chicken. I pulled the chicken off of the bone and then put it into a pan and sprinkled it with the rub spices. Then I heated the chicken with the spices for a few minutes then added the barbecue sauce. Easy peasy and good.

Marinated Yogurt Kebabs

Ingredients:
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
2 t. lemon juice
2 t. fresh dill, chopped
coarse salt and pepper
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, and dill; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight.
Heat broiler, with rack in top position. thread marinated chicken onto 2 metal skewers and place on wire rack set on rimmed baking sheet. Broil chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through and dark brown in spots, 10-12 minutes.

Makes 1 serving. Total time 20 minutes plus marinating.

Verdict:
For obvious reasons I tripled this recipe. We also cooked it on the grill instead of under the broiler in an attempt to keep our house cool. It tasted good. I think that there are better recipes out there that involve marinating in yogurt but this one used ingredients that I already had on hand and didn't require a lot of effort on my part.

Favorite Turkey Burger

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
1/2 c. Gruyere cheese, grated
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 c. dried breadcrumbs
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
coarse salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for grates
4 hamburger buns

Suggested accompaniments:
cheese slices
sliced tomatoes
red or white onion
ketchup
mustard
pickles
mayonnaise
lettuce

Directions:
Heat the grill to high. In a medium bowl, use a fork to gently combine the turkey with the Gruyere, green onions, breadcrumbs, Dijon, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Dividing the mixture evenly, gently form the mixture into four 1 inch thick patties.
Lightly oil the grill. Place the patties on the hottest part of the grill; sear until browned, 1-2 minutes per side. Move the patties to the cooler part of the grill; continue grilling until cooked through, 5-10 minutes per side.
Split the hamburger buns and toast on the grill if you like; place a burger on each bun and serve with the desired accompaniments.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 35 minutes.

Verdict:
The flavor was good on these unfortunately the BBQ destroyed them. They did not come out looking like burgers, more like broken off pieces of meat. Never the less, we enjoyed them, and so did the kids. I think that these would work well if you cooked them on the stove top.

Cobb Salad Muffuletta With Baked Potato Chips

For sandwich:
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 c. feta
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 t. dijon mustard
2 chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 strips bacon
1 loaf focaccia, halved horizontally
2 T. olive oil
2 cups arugula or spinach
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 eggs, hard boiled, sliced

For potatoes:
1 russet potatoes, sliced into paper thin rounds.
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

For sandwich:
Preheat grill.
Whisk 1/3 c. oil, feta, vinegar, dijon, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Grill chicken over high heat, turning occasionally until cooked through. Remove from grill and let rest then slice.
Cook bacon until crisp. Brush both sides of focaccia with 2 T. oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill cut side down until toasted.
Brush focaccia with vinaigrette. Toss arugula with 3 T. vinaigrette to coat.
Layer avocado, tomatoes, chicken slices, eggs, bacon and arugula on bottom half of focaccia. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette, top with remaining focaccia and cut into wedges.

For potatoes:
Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Soak potato slices in ice water for 10 minutes. Drain and dry with paper towels.
Toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper then arrange on a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
Bake until golden and crisp about 20-25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Makes 6 wedges and 3 c. chips. Total time 50 minutes.

Verdict:
This is a good sandwich. It also tasted good with the chips. It makes for a good meal. If you like cobb salad and chips you will like this.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

For the topping:
1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1/2 c. BBQ sauce (I like sweet baby rays)
2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

For the crust:
1 frozen bread dough

Making the Pizza:
Thaw bread dough.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Spray pizza pan with pam. Roll out dough and place on pizza pan.
Mix together BBQ sauce and chicken. Spread chicken mixture evenly around dough making sure that you keep the chicken mixture in the middle to a minimum otherwise it will not cook through.
Sprinkle cheese on top of chicken.
Add onions.
Season with kosher salt and pepper.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.

Makes 4 servings. Total time 40 minutes.

Verdict:
I hate to toot my own horn but I have never had anyone say that they did not love this. Actually I have had people tell me this is the best pizza they have ever had. So there you have it.

side note: even if you don't like onions I still recommend that you add them and then remove them before you eat the pizza. I have made it before with out onions and it just isn't as good.