Southwest Chicken Melt Sandwich

 

I am sure many of you have heard of Tuna Melt sandwiches.  They are a real favorite here.  I have several recipes for them on the blog. 

There is the Classic Tuna Melt, which is a really good sandwich and my absolute favorite. Then there is the Parmesan Pesto Tuna Melt, also very good.

 

Then there is the Tuna Melt Casserole.  All the flavours of a traditional tuna melt, except in a casserole dish.  Delicious!  With broccoli, a tasty cheese sauce, pasta and melting cheese on top.

I have even made a Tuna Melt Tart. Equally as delicious.  I just love Tuna Melts. 

 

I usually have leftover chicken in the house that needs using up. I eat a lot of chicken. Its probably my protein of choice.

I am always looking for tasty ways to use it up.  Today I decided to create a Chicken Melt sandwich recipe.  A sort of a riff on the classic tuna melt, but open faced, and with some different flavors in the mix.

 

I decided to go with some Tex Mex flavors and make it a tiny bit spicy.  I love interesting sandwiches, don't you?  Boring is highly over-rated! 

And this delicious open faced chicken melt sandwich is anything but boring!

 

I shredded some cooked chicken, leaving it rather chunky.  I have a confession. I am not overly fond of shredded meat. Its a consistency thing. 

Yes, I am not a lover of pulled pork, or pulled anything else.  I just don't like stringy meat. Call me crazy.

 

So some of it is shredded, but I left a lot of it chunky as well.  I mixed that with some mayonnaise for creaminess, and some sparky spice.

Taco seasoning. (You should how much heat you want to add.)  Lime juice.  Salt, pepper. And Tabasco sauce. 

 

You can use the red tabasco if you want, but I really love the green tabasco sauce.  I splash it on all sorts.

Eggs, in soup, on sandwiches, etc.  And it goes fabulously with the other flavors in this sandwich, I have to say.  I just love the stuff.

 

I also added some grated Jack cheese.  Spicy Jack. With Tex Mex flavors.  Just enough to bind the chicken together with everything else.

I also added chopped spring onion, or scallions as they are also called.  These add a bit of color, some sharpness and some crunch.

 

This all gets mixed together and then piled onto slices of rustic bread. I used a sour dough boule I had bought at the shops. 

You want a sturdy bread. Something which is going to stand up to that filling. No wimpy bread allowed!

 

Just pile the chicken filling onto the bread, spreading it out a bit.  Then sprinkle on some more cheese.  I like to be a bit generous with the cheese.

But that's me.  Your sandwich (s) is/are ready now to pop under the grill.  It doesn't take very long to warm them up and melt the cheese. Not long at all. Your chicken should already have been warmed anyways.

 

I usually pop it into a bowl and warm it in the microwave while I grate the cheese and chop the onions. Easy peasy.  

Once they are heated through the the cheese on top has melted, and the edges of the bread are turning golden brown, you sandwich is ready.

 

Just pop them onto a plate and sprinkle some more chopped spring onions over the top.  I like to serve some salad leaves on the side.  For health reasons. (ROFL)

If you want to you can splash a bit more hot sauce on top.  Yum!!

 

These are delicious knife and fork sandwiches.  The quantities I have given are for two sandwiches, but you can easily double it to serve more.

Or half it yet again to serve only one, which is what I did.

This made a delicious light lunch. Perfect for one or two.  Nothing else needed, although if you wanted to serve them with a light soup, that would generally go down well also.

Something light though. Like a tomato soup or some such. You won't really want anything hearty.  

And there you have it. The Southwest Chicken Melt Sandwich. For two. Deliciously simple and incredibly filling.

Southwest Chicken Melt Sandwich

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 5 MinTotal time: 10 Min

Tangy spicy chicken salad on a slice of sour dough, topped with cheese and grilled. This makes a delicious lunch with some salad on the side!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (135g) cooked and shredded chicken, gently warmed
• 2 tsp taco seasoning
• 1 TBS fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp tabasco sauce (red or green, you decide)
• 1/8 cup (30g) mayonnaise
• 3 ounces (85g) Jack cheese, shredded and divided
• 3 spring onions, washed and thinly sliced, divided
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 thick slices of a sour dough boule

Instructions

1. Place your oven rack about six inches away from the broiler and preheat the broiler.
2. Combine the chicken, mayonnaise,  taco seasoning, lime juice, hot sauce and half of the cheese and spring onions in a bowl.
3. Place the slices of bread onto a baking tray. Divide the chicken mixture between each slice, covering them completely.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
4. Pop the baking tray under the broiler and cook the sandwiches for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the edges of the bread are turning golden brown. Watch carefully so that they don't burn.
5. Serve topped with the remaining spring onions and some salad on the side if desired. Delicious!

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