Buffalo Chicken

Happy New Year! Today was a day to recover from the last week, make that month, of festivities. Although there's been one item missing from this season (where are you snow?) it has been a fabulous end to another year. Spending time with the ones you love, making, buying, cooking, and adding extra love to gifts for all those special people... ah, I'm getting a bit sentimental here...

Getting down to business, I've been watching a bit much of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and have become obsessed with buffalo chicken. Don't ask me why. I also saw this super duper awesome trick on how to  shred chicken in a cuisenart mixer. Tried it. Love it. No more burned fingers! So after a couple days of thinking about nothing but shredded buffalo chicken, I decided to be ambitious in the new year and came up with a delicious, sweet and spicy tender chicken sandwich.

Yum.

I used Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Marinade and added some garlic, diced onions, and brown sugar. Over medium heat I cooked the chicken in the sauce in my new Le Creuset (woo woo!), for about 20 minutes.

(I got the pre-cut chicken tenders fresh from the deli because I really wasn't in the mood to trim the fat from full breasts, yuck!)

{So excited about my new orange Le Creuset, fitting that the first thing I made in it is also orange}

Then, I did the incredible trick of putting the hot chicken in my cuisinart mixer and voila! After a few spins on low I had perfectly shredded chicken! I returned the meat to the sauce and simmered for another 20 minutes or so. (Really could have gone longer but I couldn't wait) I added some provolone cheese and pickles on an onion bun and.. Oh. My. God. Hangover and sinuses cleared!!!

Chicken Caprese Paninis

I heart caprese salad more than almost anything. But when it gets cold out, I crave something hot. So here's a way to have both! I marinated the chicken in a balsamic vinegarette and added the classic caprese salad ingredients with a pesto mayo, then melted it all into a gooey, crunchy, delicious panini. And yes, I cook with wine but rarely put it in the food.

What you will need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

garlic

herbs de provence or italian seasoning

1 large sourdough sandwich loaf from bakery

fresh mozzarella

tomatoes

fresh basil

mayonaisse

dry basil

salt

Marinade: 1/2 c balsamic vinegar, 1/4 c olive oil, 1-2 garlic cloves - finely chopped (or 1 tbsp outta the jar), 1 tsp herbs/Italian seasoning, whisk together, add chicken, marinate 1/2 hour - 1 hour.

Bake chicken @ 375 for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Let chicken cool. Shred chicken into teensy tiny pieces, or leave breasts whole, your preference. I like shredding it, it makes it easier to work with and eat.

Slice tomatoes and mozzarella. Divide loaf into 4 sections and slice through the middle.

Pesto mayo: combine 1/2 c mayo with 1 tbsp dry basil, 1 garlic clove, finely chopped (or 1 tbsp outta the jar), a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt

Assemble sandwiches: pesto mayo on both sides, add chicken tomatoes and fresh basil (rip large leaves into smaller pieces), drizzle with more balsamic, top with fresh mozzarella and other half of bread.

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If you don't have a panini grill, which I don't, sandwich sandwiches between 2 cookie sheets and top with somehting heavy. You can wrap a brick in tin foil, or use a heavy pan. I used a cast iron griddle. Worked just fine.

Bake @ 375 for about ten minutes. Flip sandwiches so both sides get nice and crispy, cook for another 2 minutes.

Cut sandwiches in half and enjoy!

Even 4 year olds will eat this up!