Chicken, Cheddar and Bacon Sandwiches

Football season is in full effect!  And whether you are a rabid fan, a casual observer or a why-would-I-spend-my-beautiful-Saturday-watching-men-in-uniform-tackle-each-other-type…you still gotta eat!  And this deliciousness (thank you Midwest Living for the recipe!) is a perfect meal to enjoy at a tailgate or anywhere else for that matter.

These sandwiches are easy, quick, can be made ahead of time and contain bacon and cheese.  Can I get a Yes! and Amen!?

Here’s what you’ll need to enjoy these slammin’ sandwiches.

Ingredients

Next, slice the red onion and remind yourself to have a copious amount of gum or mints available so your onion breath doesn’t destroy friendships at your tailgate or your table.

Coat both sides of the onion with olive oil.

Cook the onions and the chicken on medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F) and onion is tender, turning once halfway through.

The recipe calls for this to be done on a grill or with a grill pan.  I originally made this recipe in March.  And I was too cold to go outside and grill so I just made it inside on my stove top.  Apparently I am a fair weather griller.

Meanwhile, combine the mayo…

…and the mustard.

Yum-o!

Slice that bread in half horizontally,

and then hollow out each half, leaving a 3/4-inch shell.  Then try really hard not to be permanently scarred by my creepy looking hand in this picture.

Oh…and don’t forget to cook that bacon!  The crispier the better.  That applies to many areas of life really.  Well…except for sunbathing, hair styling and baking.

Once the chicken is done, remove it from your stove top or grill.

Thinly slice that chicken and separate the red onion into rings.  Caution: even though the words onion and rings were used in the same sentence above, it does NOT mean that breaded blessing of an appetizer is going to manifest.  We must all move on.

Spread the insides of the bread halves with the mayonnaise mixture.

Layer the bottom bread pieces with chicken, onion, bacon, and cheese. Replace the tops and press the sandwich together all nice and snug.  The bacon and cheese and chicken are becoming besties at this point in the process.

Slice each sandwich into serving size pieces and then…

…hold your sandwich up to admire all you’ve accomplished.  But don’t pat yourself on the back at the same time or I can’t be held responsible for what could happen.

Tightly wrap each sandwich in foil. If you like, chill up to 24 hours.

Or if you’re like me and rarely have your life planned 24 hours ahead of time…much less your meals…cook or grill straight away!

Cook these babies in a 350 degrees oven for 10 minutes, or until heated through.  Melt-y awesomeness!

Then leave to go answer the door, have a lovely but brief conversation with your friend at the door and then come back to find your dog enjoying your chicken, cheddar and bacon masterpiece too.  (Good thing I cooked that extra piece of chicken!)

I decided to round out the meal with some baked beans and BBQ potato chips and placed them all in some plastic baskets we have in our tailgating stash.  My kids get the biggest kick out of eating meals in baskets.  Oh, the simple things.

Enjoy your weekend of cheering, eating and relaxing!  And remember…everything is better with bacon!

Go Team Go!

Stacey

P.S. Here is the link to Midwest Living’s original recipe.