Saturday, July 25, 2015

Chicken sandwich melt






After a sweltering week, we experienced a cool and very wet day recently. What to eat? It called for something warm and filling and yet we didn’t have time to make soup or simmer a stew. Plus we wanted to change up our lunches a bit and thought it would a bit of a thrill to turn on a burner before the next wave of heat and humidity.  Luckily, we had quite a bit of leftover cooked chicken.


This reminded me of a recipe from back in the day with chicken and creamy filling in a sandwich that was then French-toasted.  Of course, the recipe was long gone, but we had fun improvising in an attempt to duplicate it.
As usual with our recipes, everything is approximate. We assume you’ll vary the ingredients to suit your tastes.  

We tried this both ways: French toasted and also just lightly sautéed without dipping in egg. We loved it both ways, but our dense bread didn't absorb the egg mixture as well as a lighter (perhaps even white!) bread.  We'll give that a shot some other cool summer day.





All you need is:


4 slices of your favorite bread (We used six-grain Chia bread, but any nice bread will do - we think walnut or cranberry or both would be terrific).
4 – 6 ounces of cooked chicken, cubed
3 tablespoons of good quality mayo - we used reduced fat
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 ounces of soft cheese, grated – we used Havarti
2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon chopped chives, divided
S & P to taste
1 extra large egg
2 tablespoons milk


 
All you do is:




Mix the chicken, mayo, Dijon, grated cheese, lemon, 1 teaspoon chives and S & P and spread on the bread.  You could butter the bread first. We didn’t but might next time.  Cover with second slices.
You could make it ahead to this point.




Beat the egg and milk in a flat bowl.  






 Dip the sandwiches in and let the mixture soak in for a few minutes.  Turn to dip the other side.

Heat a sauté or frying pan and melt butter and 1 tsp chives until bubbly.  Cook the sandwiches over medium heat until brown.  Flip and cook until other side is browned too and the cheese inside has melted (a bit of a guessing game).   We're not sure who ate those photos, but it's pretty straightforward.




We tried this a second time without the egg. (There was a small mountain of cooked chicken in the fridge). Perhaps the denseness of the bread didn’t let the egg do its magic. We  liked second version just as much, so that will be the recipe we keep. It’s like a melt but with a crispy outside. Next time we’ll add a bit of lemon zest and maybe a few dried cranberries, if we’re not keeping them for the salad.


We served it with a crisp green leaf lettuce salad and a carrot salad (that’s where the cranberries were).  The carrot salad may be messy, but it's yummy.,  Next time we'll use an ice cream scoop.


Both versions were big hits and I hope one or the other will be at your house too. 



WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?








That shadowy body known as Victoria Abbott is actually artist and photographer Victoria Maffini and her mother Mary Jane.  Together they write the book collector mysteries.  They are very happy to announce that THE MARSH MADNESS, the fourth in the series, is now available for pre-order by clicking the links below or through your favorite source of books!

If you haven't started this series yet, we're having a draw for a REVIEW COPY of THE CHRISTIE CURSE, first in the series.



 


 Just leave a comment below and your name goes in the hat.  Be lucky!






 

Or  Pre-order Kindle



They'd love it if you would friend them on Facebook where there's a lot going on.
 

Friend Mary Jane


Friend Victoria Abbott

Check us out on Pinterest: 

http://www.pinterest.com/jbinghamkelly/


SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE!



50 comments:

  1. Wow sandwich looks great! I sadly have never read any of your guy's books! :( I know I know it's crazy. But I have made a bunch of your recipes! So I would love to win the first book in the series! Thanks for the giveaway, and chance to win!
    magicgirl2357@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Would love to win this! This sandwich looks yummy! I will have to try it! Thanks for sharing!
    angelhwk68@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good luck with sandwich and draw, Barbara!

      Thanks.

      Delete
  3. Sandwich looks amazing! And as always, you two do as well:) xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a delectable sandwich. Your books are a delight. Thanks for this feature. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  5. The sandwich looks delicious!! I will have to try it out! rdespins99(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you like it, Rachel! Good luck in the draw.

      Cheers.

      Delete
  6. I'm going to try this sandwich soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let us know if you like it, Gram! Always good to see you here.

      Cheers.

      Delete
  7. What a perfect summer sandwich to enjoy on the patio. Thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  8. We love this description. Thanks, and good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  9. My boys thank you for this recipe:) They have already asked me to make it this afternoon.Thank you for chance :) pennymarks@frontier.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. This sandwich sounds like a wonderful treat year round. I can picture it with a bowl of soup in the winter and fruit salad in the summer. Thanks for the recipe!
    davisel1830@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. That sandwich looks great, I will have to try that. The book looks good too. centraleast2 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you like it! Good luck in the draw.

      Cheers.

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  12. I am going to try the sandwich , that looks great ! Thanks for the giveaway too ! kathambre@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sandwich looks so good! I can't wait to try it whille reading your first book in the new series. Thanks for the giveaway and recipe.!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry forgot to add:
      ldwrncpn(at)comcast(dot)com

      Delete
    2. Thanks, Lori! Sometimes mult-tasking can be fun.

      Cheers.

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  14. I had a chicken salad sandwhich on gluten free bread last night. Wish I had seen this sooner!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You just made my day, Darlene! I hope you get to try this too. It would work well with gluten-free I think.

      Best.

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  15. That recipe is a must try for me--I've even got some cranberry nut bread in the freezer that will be just perfect. Thanks for the contest, I'd love to read the book.
    suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cranberry nut bread sounds like it would be fabulous with this. Let us know.

      Cheers and thanks.

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  16. I like the idea of the more toasted sandwich...more crunchy. It sounds delicious.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. You two are so cute!
    The sandwich sounds like a real keeper. I like the idea of cranberries in the mix, even if they are also going in the salad. And perhaps some toasted almonds. I like the textural contrast.
    Enjoy whatever weather you have.
    Happy creativity, whether in the kitchen or in writing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Libby! I think almonds would be awesome somewhere in the mix.

      Hope your weather is great (but suspect very hot!)

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  18. This looks very tasty!

    ElaineE246 at msn dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you get to try it, Elaine! Good luck in the draw.

      Best.

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  19. I love this mystery series! Your sandwich sounds delish, too. Comfort food!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Krista, for your kind words. We were comforted by this sandwich.

      Hugs.

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  20. I'd love to win the book to enjoy and review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fingers crossed, Karlene! Thanks for coming by.

      Best

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  21. Hi ladies! We're grilling chicken tonight, so I'm going to make sure cook extra to ensure that I have enough to make this for tomorrow's lunch---it looks so delicious! I'll be making version #2 (sans egg). Thanks so much for sharing another yummy recipe! Nicole V :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We hope you like it, Nicole! Good luck with sandwich and draw.

      Cheers.

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  22. That sandwich looks SO good, as does your book!
    kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Karen B. Hope you get to enjoy both.

      Best.

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  23. The sandwich looks absolutely delicious. I've been wanting to read this series for awhile because it sounds excellent. Thanks for the fun opportunity to win. rencw@verizon.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for coming by, Renee! Good luck.

      Cheers.

      MJ/VA

      Delete
  24. Will have to try this recipe or some form of it. Havent read any in this series, so would love to win a copy of the first. Thanks for the opportunity. kayt18 at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  25. The recipe looks awesome. I have not read this series, I would love to start it. Thank you for the chance.
    Moonbay7399@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. A favourite café serves a version of this with brie and caramelized onions (really yummy). I am so looking forward to The Marsh Madness in September - love the series and I think I may re-read the three earlier books in anticipation of Jordan's new adventures.
    Nancy R in Ottawa

    ReplyDelete
  27. that recipe is mad-crazy!!
    I must have one!!!!
    thank you for the giveaway.......

    cyn209 at juno dot com

    ReplyDelete