BBQ Chicken Sliders For The Win

This recipe is a descendent from a past New Years Eve menu item- the famous ham and cheese sliders you see all over the internet. Seems you can put anything in these sliders so why not try another version! I have come up with an extremely delicious BBQ chicken version. Who doesn't love melted cheese and meat and bread and sauce! Of course you can fiddle with this however you want- adding onion might be a good one, but in my opinion, these flavors go so well together, why change it up right now?

-1 18 pack of Hawaiian rolls
-1 rotisserie chicken: picked apart- get alllll that meat off the chicken
-1 cup BBQ sauce: divided
-2 cup Swiss cheese: shredded and divided
-1/2 cup pickles (I suggest sticking to bread and butter or dill for maximum yumminess)
-4 tbs butter: melted
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/4 cup parsley: chopped
-1/8 tsp salt
-1/8 tsp pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Remove the buns from their package. With them all still together, carefully cut the entire piece in half so it's separated into one slab of top buns and one slab of bottom buns.
3. In a greased 9x13 baking dish or cookie sheet, place the bottom buns down- cut side up.
4. Spread half of the BBQ sauce on the bottom buns. 
5. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top of the BBQ sauce.
6. Place the chicken on top of the cheese.
7. Put the rest of the remaining cheese on top of the chicken, followed by the pickles, and the rest of the BBQ sauce. 
8. Place the top buns on top- cut side down, so now it's one big sandwich, stuff dreams are made of!
9. In a microwave safe bowl melt the butter and mix in the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley.
10. Brush the butter mixture all over the tops and sides of the buns.
11. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and pop into the oven for 20 minutes.
12. Take the foil off and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the top is toasty and golden.
13. Remove from the oven and carefully cut the buns however you'd like! 

The amazing thing about these kinds of "roll sandwiches" is that you can literally make them with whatever you want, however you want! Mini meatball subs, Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches, ham and cheese, sloppy joe, chicken and pesto, sausage and peppers, chicken parm, cheesesteak, cheeseburgers (big mac. DROOL), the possibilities are ENDLESS! Plus, sandwiches are better when they are warm, melty, and slathered in garlic butter, right?

I must warn you to be careful as well, it's very easy to eat all of these in one go, so pace yourself you savage! 

Meaghan

A Bit Of Asian: Teriyaki Sesame Chicken Meatballs

I'm a big fan of the meatball in general, my dad makes maybe the best ones I've ever had and probably will ever have! But it's been quite the trend the last few years to try something different: "healthier" options like chicken, turkey, or even some veggie balls! I'm not about to get my veggie on, so I thought chicken would be fun to try. 

I've been on an Asian food kick lately, wanting to make it, wanting to buy it, wanting to look at it, and wanting to inhale all of it- you know, all the normal stuff. So I thought I'd start my little journey with some chicken meatballs with all the Asian flavors I know and love. 

**Note: I'm grinding my own chicken here, if you want to skip this step, buy the ground chicken meat in the store. I'm grinding mine because I'm using thighs, and I can't for the life of me find ground thigh meat!**

Balls
-1 lb chicken thighs- no bone/no skin 
-1/2 onion
-2 cloves garlic
-1/2 inch fresh ginger 
-1 egg white
-1 tbs lemon juice
-3 scallions stalks
-4 tbs vegetable oil for frying
-Salt and pepper

Sauce
-1/3 cup mirin (if you can't find this, rice wine vinegar will work- just not as sweet, add a touch more sugar)
-2 tbs soy sauce
-1 tbs sugar
-1 tbs sesame seeds
-1 scallion stalk finely chopped
-1 tsp teriyaki sauce
-2 tbs oyster sauce 

1. Roughly chop the thighs, onion, garlic, scallions, and ginger and put into a food processor along with the egg white, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Blend until well combined- not chunky, but not pureed. 
2. Shape your meatballs however large or small you'd like and set aside.
3. Put a large pan on medium heat with the oil and fry the meatballs until browned and cooked through.
4. Remove the meatballs and set aside on paper towels to drain any extra oil.
5. Remove most of the extra oil/fat from the pan and lower the heat to medium low.
6. Add to the pan the mirin, soy sauce, sugar, chopped scallions, sesame seeds, teriyaki sauce, and oyster sauce- stir well to combine.
7. Add the meatballs to the sauce and coat them fully.
8. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened and the meatballs have been well coated.

Devour!

Because I didn't want just meatballs, I roasted some broccoli and made some jasmine rice for some sides and boy oh boyyyy, this stuff is good. If you wanted to get really into it, you could make some lo mien and have an Asian spaghetti and meatballs situation on your hands, which doesn't sound horrible either. ORRRR you could incorporate these into some sort of sandwich with some good soft bread, pickled veggies, and a nice aoli. The possibilities are endless, let your stomach guide you, that's what I usually do. These would be really good on some sort of pizza too... ok I have to stop now before I eat my hand over here! 

Next on my Asian cooking adventure... scallion pancakes and maybe potstickers! 

Meaghan 

French Onion Soup Chicken Bake... Literally A Mouth Full

Stop the presses, extra extra, read all about it, and all that jazz. This dish is BEYOND delicious. and I'm already dreaming of when I'll make it next.

While rotating through my many cooking shows I watch, I came across a version of this dish and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. So what happens when I obsess over a food? I must try to make it... as soon as possible. 

This, is my journey.

-3 large sweet onions
-2 cloves garlic
-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
-1 cup beef broth
-1/4 tsp fresh thyme (or just a pinch of the dried stuff)
-4 tbs olive oil divided
-2 tbs butter
-4 oz Emmenthaler cheese (or any other good melting Swiss cheese- Gruyere!)
-Salt and pepper

1. Slice the onions thinly into half moons, finely chop the garlic, and set aside.
2. In a large heavy bottomed oven safe skillet (I used an enameled cast iron braiser) on medium high heat, warm 2 tbs olive oil.
3. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs and cook completely in the skillet. Remove and set aside.
4. Lower the heat to medium low and add the rest of the olive oil and butter to the pan along with the onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. You're looking to caramelize the onions so you'll be cooking these for a while... like 45 minutes, low and slow. Keep at it though, stirring and browning until the onions are very cooked down and caramelized.
5. Add the thyme to the onion mixture.
6. Shred the cheese and set aside.
7. When the onions are just about there, set your oven to broil.
8. Add the broth to the onions and bring to a simmer.
9. Nestle the chicken into the onions and broth.
10. Cover the dish with all that beautiful cheese.
11. Pop the pan under the broiler until the cheese melts and gets bubbly- 2-3 minutes. **Watch carefully though, don't burn it!**

ENJOY!

Even though this dish is completely amazing on its own, I put the chicken and onions over pasta because pasta is a part of my soul. But you could easily put it over potatoes, rice, or even veggies- roasted broccoli or Brussel sprouts would be delish!

This may take some time to throw together and as my roommate so dearly put it "smells like feet" when it's cooking, but it's so worth it and it doesn't taste like feet, I promise! Especially if you don't feel like a soup and want something with some substance, it's perfect. Warm, comforting, sweet, and so satisfying it'll leave you saying "Who needs a man when you have this!!". 

Meaghan