Spicy Chicken Sandwich

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Hot Chicken Sandwich

This spicy chicken sandwich recipe is packed with flavor, fresh components and satisfying textures.   The creamy, melted mozzarella is mild yet balances the robust pepper sauce and savory chicken. The fresh sliced tomato and shredded lettuce toppings bring in a refreshing element to this hearty and satiating meal. My husband is a chicken sandwich connoisseur and he loved this spicy chicken sandwich recipe – this says a lot – I know you will enjoy!

For the spicy chicken sandwich sauce, I made a homemade adobo sauce to dip the chicken in before composing this sandwich.  Adobo is a rich pepper sauce that is spicy and tangy and it packs a ton of flavor!  I think people get intimidated by making homemade adobo but it is truly easier than one might think.  It takes the foresight to soak the dried peppers the night before for rehyrdation, but after that it is throwing a bunch of ingredients into a blender.  The most tedious task would be cutting and sautéing the garlic and onions, but what great meal doesn’t require you to chop and sauté garlic and onions?

Not quite a chicken torta, this chicken sandwich is similar, as it features a traditional Mexican sauce and fresh Mexican produce – fresh jalapeños.  The cheese is melted under the broiler to bring in the classic chicken melt experience.

This spicy chicken sandwich is a close relative to the chipotle chicken sandwich as the adobo sauce has chipotle peppers and has a similar flavor profile.  This may be the best chicken sandwich because it covers all the taste profiles that our taste buds desire all at the same time- sweet, salty, spicy, umami.  

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts
• Flour (cassava flour if gf)
• Salt and pepper
• Bread 
• Fresh mozzarella cheese ball
• Medium yellow onions for making caramelized onions
• Adobo sauce 
• Lettuce 
• Tomato
• Fresh jalapeño
• Mayo

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Instructions:

Preparation of chicken:

1. Butterfly the chicken breast so they are cut into a thinner and evenly thin.
2. Season the butterflied cutlets with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.
3. Dredge the chicken cutlets by sprinkling flour all over and turning to coat both sides.
4. Heat a skillet to medium-high and place 1 Tbsp of butter.
5. Cook chicken until it is golden brown on each side.

Instructions for making this spicy chicken sandwich:

1. Lightly butter and toast one side of each slice of bread, the toasted side will be the exterior or the exposed sides. 
2. Spread mayo on the inside of the top slice.
3. Cut cooked chicken breast cutlets to size to fit the sandwich then dip into the adobo sauce and place on the bread, stack a few chicken cutlets to give the sandwich some height. 
4. Place caramelized onions on top of the sauced chicken breast and place slices of fresh mozzaralla over the onions.  Place this open faced unit under the broiler on high to melt the mozzarella cheese.
5. Once the cheese is melted, remove from heat and finish assembling the sandwich by putting the tomato slices on top of the cheese, then the shredded lettuce and sliced jalapeño as the final topping before closing the sandwich with the second piece of toasted bread.

Homemade Adobo sauce:

• 3-4 dried ancho chiles
• 1(2 if you like it to be spicy) chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (canned)
• 1 small head of garlic 
• 1 medium onion
• 1 Tbsp vegetable bouillon glaze- Better than Bouillon brand 
• 1/2 Tbsp cumin
• 1/5 Tbsp oregano
• 1.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Juice of 1 lime
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1.5 cups water

Equipment:

High speed blender

Adobo Instructions:

-Rehydrate the dried peppers in a bowl of water overnight.

-Chop and mince onions and garlic and then sauté until cooked and onions are beginning to become translucent. 

-Add the rehydrated peppers, chipotle pepper, garlic, onions, cumin, oregano, vinegar, lime juice, orange juice, maple syrup, bouillon, tomato paste and water .

-Blend on high speed until smooth, approximately 30 seconds.

-Pour liquid into a pan and cook on medium high for 10 minutes, allowing liquid to simmer. 

-Coat cooked chicken in adobo sauce before putting it together into the sandwich. 

Caramelized Onions: 5 medium yellow onions

-Slice so that onion ends up in strips.

-Add butter.

-Optional addition of Tbsp of sugar.

-Cook low and slow for about 40 minutes or until turned light brown and soft.

Additional Components:

Lettuce: cut the lettuce into strips to make “shredded lettuce”.

Tomato: slice the tomato into even cross section slices.

Fresh sliced of jalapeño 

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Notes:

-Caramelized onions- 5 or 6 medium sized yellow onions.  Cut off the ends, remove the outer skin and slice into strips.  Separate the onion slices and put them in a skillet with about a tablespoon of butter.  You can add a little cane sugar if you would like to help along the caramelization process and make them a little sweeter.  The key to cooking good caramelized onions on the stove top is low and slow.  Start low-medium heat and stir occasionally so they don’t burn.  If you do this in the oven, they are a more low-maintenance and you can mix them around just once.  Again start with a lower temperature such as 250 degrees.

-The key to any quality chicken dish is the proper preparation and cooking of the chicken breast.  Since chicken cutlets can vary in thicknesses in one single piece, with one part of the breast being a thick mound and it unevenly tapering on one side, the amount of time the breast will cook through from one side to the other will be different.  This is why butterflying is important, so you can thin out the thick part and help it to cook consistently.  It is called butterflying because when you slice it and open it up it looks like butterfly wings separating.  The next key to having chicken come out tasty is properly seasoning both sides with cracked black pepper and sea salt(I am on the liberal side of seasoning). Lastly, the success in making flavorful chicken breasts is in the final step of dredging with flour and searing in butter until golden brown.  This prep and cooking method will create tons of flavor that will make any chicken meal taste like perfection!

-Spicy chicken sandwich healthy version: Since the chicken cooking method is pan searing instead of deep frying we are able to omit the unhealthy vegetable oils that are typically used in crispy chicken sandwiches. The dredging process (coating in flour before pan searing) and seasoning the chicken well with salt and pepper allow for a fully flavorful and satisfying chicken flavor in this sandwich. Choose this seasoning and preparation when you want to make a fried chicken recipe and you won’t be disappointed in the flavor you will create.

This is a great recipe to try if you’re a big fan of a hot chicken sandwich. If you do try this recipe please rate it or comment below and if you made any alterations and want to let me in on your chicken breast sandwich recipes, I would love to hear about it!  If you would like to share or pin on Pinterest I am always thankful.  Check out my food journey on Pinterest at: Molé in the Wall. 

Photos above: Chicken sandwich taco, Roast chicken sandwich, Chicken fillet sandwich, Chipotle chicken sandwich Chicken tender sandwich, Chicken breast sandwich, Chicken cutlet sandwich