Italian Grilled Chicken Sammie ala First Watch

Italian Grilled Chicken Sammie ala First Watch

Oops! Looks like this post was never published and saved as a "draft" for far too long...

Like usual, we couldn’t pass by the breakfast menu items at First Watch during our most recent St. Louis visit.  Nonetheless, we were intrigued and tempted enough by the Italian Chicken Sandwich that we decided to make our own version for dinner upon return to Lincoln.  A quick picture of the First Watch menu items in combination with the idea of balsamic mayo from Honest Abe’s (a gourmet hamburger joint in Lincoln) resulted in a tasty and fairly simple meal.  This is a perfect light summertime menu item when fresh basil and maters from the garden are in peak season. 

 Ingredients:

·         mayonnaise

·         balsamic vinegar

·         pesto (preferably homemade!)

·         chicken breast

·         Provel cheese (okay…mozzarella will do, if you don’t have access to this STL delicacy)

·         pepperoncinis, sliced

·         tomato, sliced

·         red onion, thinly sliced

·         fresh spinach leaves, optional

·         Ciabatta bread, halved (if you have a really thick loaf, you may want to hollow out the inside, or serve open-faced; unless you have a big mouth like Dennis as evidenced by the picture shown above)

SEASONINGS:

·         ground basil

·         ground oregano

·         garlic powder

·         onion powder

·         pepper

·         salt

Directions:

1.    Prepare a balsamic mayo schmear by combining approximately 3 parts mayo to 1 part vinegar.  You can adjust the ratios to your liking, but keep in mind that adding too much vinegar will be really runny.  Store in the fridge until serving.

2.    Prepare pesto, if making from scratch.

3.    Season chicken (w/ingredients basil through salt)

4.    GRILLING instructions for chicken and buns

5.    Assemble sandwiches.  Spread mayo and pesto on bread and add meat and remaining toppings.

6.    Eat!!