Smoky Orange Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 sandwiches
- Total: 25 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 15 min
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan, plus some for drizzling
1 small onion, chopped
3 chipotle peppers (smoky hot peppers) in adobo sauce, found in cans in Mexican foods section 1/2 cup ketchup, eyeball it
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
1 orange, zested and cut into wedges, for garnish
1 cup chicken broth
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Vegetable oil, for drizzling
Grill seasoning or salt and freshly ground black pepper
Romaine lettuce
Sliced red onions
4 crusty rolls, split, toasted and buttered
Red Cabbage, Beet and Currant Slaw Salad, recipe follows
Crispy Topped Bacon and Green Onion Baked Beans, recipe follows
Red Cabbage, Beet and Currant Slaw Salad:
1 pound red cabbage, cored, shredded
1 can sliced beets, drained and sliced
1 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup dried currants, a couple of handfuls
1/2 cup water
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup apple cider or white vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup prepared red currant jelly
1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crispy Topped Bacon and Green Onion Baked Beans:
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup plain bread crumbs
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Coarse black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans prepared barbecued baked beans, about 4 cups
Directions
- Preheat a grill pan or griddle pan over medium high heat.
- Heat a small saucepan over moderate heat. Add oil and onion. Saute onion in oil for 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Combine chipotle peppers in adobo, ketchup, orange juice concentrate, orange zest and chicken broth in a blender. Blend on high until sauce is smooth. Pour sauce into saucepan with onion and heat to a bubble. Reduce heat to simmer.
- Coat chicken lightly with a drizzle of oil and season breasts with grill seasoning blend or salt and pepper. Grill 5 to 6 minutes on the first side, turn. Remove 1/2of the barbecue sauce to a small bowl and baste chicken liberally with it. Turn chicken after 4 minutes, coat with sauce again and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
- To serve sandwiches, slice grilled chicken on an angle and fan out 1 breast on each bun bottom. Spoon remaining sauce from saucepan over the sliced chicken. Serve open faced with the lettuce and red onions setting on bun tops to the side. Pair these sandwiches with your favorite sides or, with Red Cabbage Slaw and Crispy Topped Baked Beans.
Red Cabbage, Beet and Currant Slaw Salad:
- Combine cabbage and beets in a mixing or salad bowl. Sprinkle the slaw salad with walnuts. Bring the remaining ingredients to a simmer in a small pot: currants, water, lemon juice, vinegar and brown sugar. Simmer 5 minutes to dissolve sugar and transfer mixture to a bowl. Whisk in currant jelly and oil. Pour dressing over the slaw salad. Toss salad to coat evenly with dressing. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and serve or, stored chilled up to 3 days.
- Preparation time: 15 minutes
- Cooking time: 5 minutes
- Ease of preparation: easy
Crispy Topped Bacon and Green Onion Baked Beans:
- In a medium skillet over medium high heat, brown bacon but do not fully crisp the pieces. Remove the skillet from heat and toss bread crumbs in the pan with the bacon and drippings. Add scallions to the bread crumbs and bacon and season the mixture with cracked black pepper, to taste.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Add 2 cans of barbecued beans or extra spicy beans to a shallow casserole dish. Top with bacon and bread crumb mixture and place in oven. Bake 15 minutes or until top is crispy and beans are bubbly.
- Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 15 minutes
- Ease of preparation: easy