I’m feeling like this will be the summer of sandwiches here on the blog. For the last few years I’ve avoided making summer sandwiches and burgers because I absolutely hate photographing them. Not quite so much with the sandwiches (I guess I can sometimes handle those), but definitely burgers. For some reason I just have a really hard time with them. I know this is so insane, but I am here today saying that I am changing my ways…this summer there will be an abundance of both burgers and sandwiches on the blog! I’ve already photographed three and love them all! I swear, it’s positive thinking before going into the shoot that makes all the difference. Plus OK, I made sure each sandwich/burger was piled high with flavor and color. But let’s be real, we all know that’s what makes the bestest sandwiches anyway. Duh. And trust me, while these grilled chicken sandwiches have a short cooking time, they are beyond loaded, and kind of the perfect thing to grill up on a Wednesday night. Just sayin’.
This sandwich has simple ingredients list, are loaded with flavor, and feel very southern to me…but yet are not fried. It’s the maple, corn, and bacon thing, and all piled high too. Super southern, right? The chicken is a simple three ingredient combo. Real maple syrup (meaning no Aunt Jemima), sambal oelek (spicy chili paste), and a little olive oil. Yup, just three simple, pantry staple, ingredients and no marinating time needed either. Heck yeah! The maple glazes the chicken as it grills, and the sambal oelek balances out all the sweetness. It’s sounds kind of odd, but guys I promise it’s so delicious…especially when topped with that smoky bacon corn. OH MY GOSH <–talk about summer eats. Smoky. Bacon. Corn. It’s honestly too good.
The corn gets cooked with the bacon and tossed with a little smoked paprika, fresh basil, green onions, and seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s truly the best topping to a grilled chicken sandwich. It’s smoky, sweet, and just a little salty. YUM. I almost added fresh peaches to the corn mix, but my peaches just were not sweet enough. If you happen to have some early season peaches that are delicious, I’d totally toss those in with the corn mix. That would be SO good. And then to finish things off, spread some pesto yogurt onto toasted ciabatta rolls, add the chicken, corn, and then a little avocado, you know for good measure. Surprisingly, I did not add any cheese to this sandwich, but if you wanted to make this a cheesy chicken sandwich, I think cheddar would be pretty amazing with everything happening in this sandwich…next time, I’m adding cheddar. Already excited about it.
And now you see, right? Wednesday night dinner should probably be this grilled chicken sandwich. Again, it’s ready in just about thirty minutes, pretty healthy, uses some pretty simple, everyday ingredients, and is finger lickin’ good. <–for real.
Prepare to get messy with this sandwich…it’s the only way to go.
