Forget the delivery app. Lunch is coming out of your kitchen today.
I don’t remember exactly when I realized this. Possibly the day I discovered that French onion soup is just onions cooked very slowly, with the addition of beef stock and a cheesy crouton. Or maybe it was when I realized that the secret to ooey-gooey baked mac’n’cheese was just a white sauce base with LOTS of butter. Whenever it was, it was like a firework went off in my head:
We don’t need to go to restaurants for exceptionally delicious and classy comfort food. We can cook it any night of the week in our kitchens. With the help of a few kitchen tricks that the restaurants use to give their food the extra flair, we can elevate our own home cooking to something extra-special and classy, too!
I went on a quest to discover some of these tricks and make delicious, elevated comfort food . . . and created this Grilled Chicken with Kale and Honey-Mustard Sauce.
Tender, juicy chicken covered in melty cheese, topped with crisp red onion and crunchy kale, and sandwiched between toasty ciabatta. It’s rich, oozing with tangy mustard sauce, but also bright, popping with biting raw onion and slightly bitter kale. Crispy, crunchy, juicy, tangy . . . this sandwich is the definition of delicious comfort food! (For proof, please refer to the stack of napkins you’ll go through while you eat it!)
The kitchen trick that gives this sandwich its extra special touch is actually nothing more than a simple marinade, laced with garlic, mustard, and apple cider vinegar. Just 30 minutes in this flavor bath completely transforms the chicken from potentially dry to incredibly juicy and flavorful. Add that chicken to a tangy, sweet honey-mustard sauce, and you’re on your way to a truly delicious meal!
Whether you’re hoping to put the pop back into your quarantine cooking or looking for an extra-delicious meal to make for date night, I hope you’ll try this Grilled Chicken Sandwich! Beware, though: you’ll probably love it too much to save it for those extra-special occasions. But hey-- that's just fine! The perk of cooking exceptional classy comfort food at home is that you can have it every night of the week. Who’s going to stop you?
Enjoy!
Grilled Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich with Kale and Honey Mustard
(Serves 4)
For the grilled chicken:
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
4 slices Provolone cheese
For the honey mustard:
6 tbsp mayonnaise
1 ½ tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tbsp honey
1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
¾ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Cracked black pepper to taste
To assemble:
2 cup kale
½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
4 ciabatta rolls, halved and toasted
Special equipment: grill or grill pan
Method
For the grilled chicken:
Butterfly each chicken breast to make four thinner cutlets.
To do this, lay each chicken breast flat on a cutting board and slice through sideways with the knife parallel to the cutting board. When the knife has sliced through most of the way, open up the piece of chicken like a book and finish dividing it by slicing through the “book spine.” The finished chicken pieces should be approximately ½ inch thick.
In a large bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper until blended. Whisk in olive oil slowly to incorporate completely. Add the butterflied chicken to the bowl and turn to coat. Let marinate at least 30 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally to coat. Alternatively, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat a grill or grill pan for medium-high heat. Brush grill grates or grill pan lightly with oil. Grill chicken for 6-7 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the chicken feels firm to the touch and is cooked through. Slide chicken to the coolest part of the grill, top with each piece with a slice of cheese and allow the cheese to melt for a minute before removing from the grill.
For the sauce:
Whisk together all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.
To assemble:
Lightly massage ½ tsp kosher salt into the kale, so the salt just starts breaking down the kale’s fiber.
Schmear honey-mustard sauce on the ciabatta roll bottoms. Top each with a piece of cheesy chicken, thinly sliced red onion, a handful of kale, and the ciabatta roll top. Serve warm!
Originally posted September 25, 2020.