My past entries in the challenges have been:
And these recipes are delicious! So check them out - I'll still be here when you get back. :)
This month the challenge was to make the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich!! How fun is that? There are so many opportunities to get creative and turn something ordinary into something extraordinary! I made a crispy chicken jalepeno popper grilled cheese with cheddar sauce. Overkill? Yes. Delicious? Heck yes!! You've got to try this once. For all the guys in your life! They will LOVE it.
*DISCLAIMER: This is not something to make for ladies night! Its messy, hugely full of calories, and unbelievably huge. Make it for your husband and his buddies on game nigh or your teenage sons as a treat! I guarantee it will win you some mega brownie points!
I have to apologize, I didn't document this recipe very well, so measurements are lacking a little bit! But here's an overview of what I did and the ingredients I used. :)
Funnily enough, my inspiration for this sandwich didn't really come from a grilled cheese post... I saw a couple jalepeno popper grilled cheese recipes on Pinterest... and I liked the flavour combo, but it just didn't seem "ultimate" enough. Then I saw this Crunchy Cheddar Chicken over at the Happy Little Tomato. I knew the flavours would go perfectly sandwiched between two jalepeno popper grilled cheese sandwiches and the cheddar sauce would make the perfect condiment for my crazy sandwich. Check out this cute little blog! There's lots of delicious looking recipes on there. :)
Jalepeno Popper Grilled Cheese with Crunchy Cheddar Chicken
Step 1: Make bacon. Lots of it. I think we made 1 lb of bacon and used about 2/3rds of it for three sandwiches. You'll need about 4 pieces of bacon per chicken sandwich you make. Be sure to make your bacon crispy! Thats the best way to do it for sandwiches.
Step 2: Make the crunchy cheddar chicken. Get it into the oven to cook while you make the other parts of this sandwich. If you time it right, the chicken will be done when you are ready to assemble the sandwiches. The only thing I omitted from the recipe was the parsley. Too healthy for this sandwich right? ;)
Step 3: Make some garlic butter (or buy prepared) by combining butter, olive oil, kosher salt, fresh chopped basil and some minced garlic. Mix well and set aside.
Step 4: Make your jalepeno popper filling by combining a couple spoonfuls (about 1/3 cup each) of mayo and sour cream in the bowl of a food processor. Throw in some red chili peppers (I used two) with seeds removed. Toss in about 3/4 cup shredded jalepeno jack cheese. Whirl until red chili's are worked into the rest of the ingredients. Sauce will be semi-smooth. Set aside.
Step 5: Make the cheddar sauce from the crunchy cheddar chicken link in step 2.
Step 6: Grill your grilled cheese. Assemble each sandwich as follows: Grab two pieces of bread - spread one side of each piece with garlic butter. Top non-buttered side of bread with a little shredded cheddar, a few spoonfuls of the jalepeno popper filling, two strips of bacon, a little more cheddar cheese and then top with remaining piece of bread (butered side out). Grill until lightly golden on both sides and cheese is melted. Make two grilled cheese sandwiches for each chicken sandwich your prepare.
Step 7: To assemble chicken sandwiches - start with one grilled cheese sandwich, top with one piece of chicken. Drizzle with a spoonful or two of the cheddar sauce, top with some banana pepper rings and finally top with remaining grilled cheese sandwich. Grab a big knife and cut this bad boy in half. You'll need to in order to eat it! Enjoy (but not too often because these are really bad for you!!).
So, that's my version of a crazy, ultimate grilled cheese sandwich! Hope you enjoy. :) Don't forget to vote for me below. Happy Cooking my Friends!
