Nothing Fancy -- Barbecued Chicken Sandwiches and Onion Rings

Dont' get me wrong. I love fancy food as much as the next person. But ever since we got a new bakery in our neighborhood, Pane d'Amore, we've been having lots of sandwiches for dinner on fresh panini rolls.

We also eat a fair amount of chicken breasts, and barbecued chicken sandwiches livens them up a bit. Last night we had the chicken sandwiches, red cabbage coleslaw with Granny Smith apples and Newman's Own Sesame-Ginger dressing, and oven-baked onion rings. Simple, but tasty -- perfect to eat while watching baseball on TV (Mariners won!).

Barbecue Sauce:

I like making my own barbecue sauce because it's so easy and I don't need an extra bottle taking space in the fridge. My sauce consists of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder. If I leave out the Worcestershire and put in lemon juice, it becomes cocktail sauce. Last night I also added a bit of chipolte Tabasco sauce.

Oven-Baked Onion Rings: So fun to buy a giant onion!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

 

Slice the onion rings about 1/4 inch thick.

Prepare 1) a plate with flour, 2) a bowl with a beaten egg or egg white (add cayenne pepper if you want), and 3) a plate with Panko bread crumbs.

 

Dip the onion rings first in flour, then in the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs onto the onion rings.

 

Place the onion rings on a greased baking sheet.

Spray lightly with oil and bake for 10 minutes. Turn and bake for another 5 or 6 minutes or until golden-brown.  

 

Chicken Sandwiches on Panini

We had grilled pineapple for dessert last night--with drained yogurt flavored with orange juice, orange zest, honey and orange extract. There was still lots of pineapple left over, so I contemplated having chicken curry for dinner.

But when it came down to it, I just didn’t feel like cooking curry. We always end up eating way too much because it’s so easy to pile the rice and curry and bananas and pineapple and peanuts and raisins and yogurt on your plate. Whew!

 But these chicken sandwiches hit the spot. I’m amazed that these days we are meeting the USDA 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and limiting our meat  portions to about 3 ½ oz. When you follow Michael Pollan’s recommendations to use meat primarily as a condiment (as in stir-fries, salads, and sandwiches), it turns out that, amazingly enough, one large chicken breast really is enough for two people.

   

Mmmm. These rolls smelled yeasty and fresh--from Pane d'Amore bakery.



 

The cheese was Campfire from Mt. Townsend Cremery, also sold at the bakery.


 

Sauteed kale with garlic before cooking.




And after cooking.





Roasted sweet potatoes--400 degrees. Turn in 20 minutes and again in 10 minutes.