Fresh mozzarella grilled chicken sandwich (Wendy's copycat)
Ingredients:
Basil pesto- 3 to 4 ounces fresh basil (about 2 cups)
- 1⁄4 cup pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- black pepper to taste
Marinated and grilled chicken
- 1 chicken breast, butterflied into 2 sandwich sized pieces
- 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1⁄4 cup olive oil
- 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
Sandwich assembly
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons pesto (from above)
- 1⁄2 of a medium tomato, diced
- 1 teaspoon balsamic glaze (or balsamic vinegar and a tiny pinch of sugar)
- salt and black pepper
- brioche sandwich buns (or regular burger buns)
- grilled chicken (from above)
- fresh mozzarella, sliced and then halved
- spring mix or mixed lettuce greens
Directions:
Pesto: add basil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, and salt to a food processor or blender. Pulse to combine.
When things are chopped well, start slowly adding your olive oil while the processor/blender is running on low. This starts to form an emulsion and gives you the consistency you would want.
When the pesto is smooth and has a thickened consistency, remove from the processor/blender to a bowl, add parmesan cheese, and stir.
Taste the fully combined pesto and add any additional salt and pepper that you think it might need. Store in the fridge for a few days.
Grilled chicken: butterfly a large chicken breast and then cut it into two sandwich-sized pieces.
Add red wine vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, honey, and salt and pepper to a medium-sized mixing bowl and thoroughly mix to combine.
Place all of your chicken in a zip-top bag or large container with a lid. Pour over marinade.
Leave in the marinade for at least an hour up to overnight.
Preheat the grill or grill pan on the stove for 10 minutes.
Pull chicken out of the marinade and cook on grill grates for 4 to 5 minutes per side for thighs and 5 to 6 minutes per side for chicken breasts. If you have very large chicken breasts, you might want to grill for 7 minutes. If you have a probe thermometer, you should be looking for 165 degrees F (73 °C). You should be able to pull the chicken off the grill 5 degrees less than your target temperature, and it will carry over cook those extra degrees.
Creamy pesto sauce: mix 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons of the pesto that you made earlier to create the creamy pesto sauce.
Balsamic tomatoes: dice half of a tomato and add it to a small bowl with the balsamic glaze and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Taste a tomato to make sure it doesn't need anything.
Sandwich assembly: Toast your buns and then add some creamy pesto sauce to the bottom. Add the grilled chicken on top, and then place 2 or 3 half slices of fresh mozzarella on top.
Add a small amount of spring mix and a spoonful of balsamic tomatoes. Add a bit more creamy pesto to the top bun if desired.
Close the sandwich and serve.