This recipe began as a means for turning leftovers into a decent sandwich, for the obvious reason of
a) getting rid of your leftovers
b) putting a spin on them so it doesn’t feel like you’re eating the same thing twice
c) who doesn’t love a good sandwich?!?
This has been tried with steak, chicken, different cheeses, vegetables, etc. But out of all of the trials, evolved one particular combination that works so well it deserves its own billing, and deserves to be made specifically rather than waiting for the right leftovers.
Because of the evolution, they never really had a name, but I guess it’s closest to a Grilled Chicken Quesedilla. I’ve brought these to several parties and they’re always a hit! As such, I’m asked for the name and the recipe and rather than continuing to explain that there isn’t one because of the evolution, I’ll try to put it down on paper, or electrons, as closely as I can.
INGREDIENTS
Grilled chicken strips
Your favorite flavored wrap
Swiss cheese, thinly sliced thin from your deli, a quality sharp swiss like Finlandia or Boar’s Head
Caramelized Onions (add peppers, mushrooms if you’d like)
Bleu cheese dressing, “Marie’s” if you have to ask
Crumbled gorgonzola cheese
Olive oil ("EVOO")
Butter/margarine
Spices
PREPARATION
Grilled Chicken – very basic here, this is simply boneless chicken breast cooked outside on the grill (those that know me know that I use my Weber grill year-round!), light brush of EVOO and however you normally spice them (Adobo spice for me with a little extra fresh ground black pepper and an extra pinch of salt on each breast, the chicken breast that is). Oh and don’t over-grill them – watch a Bobbie Flay grilling episode if you have to. Slice the chicken into 3/16” strips
Caramelized Onions – These are a staple in my kitchen; I’ll use them on/in almost anything: omelets, steak, cheeseburgers, sandwiches, etc. as such I generally keep a batch in the fridge and just pull from it as needed.
2-3 Onions, chopped coarsely or sliced and quartered
Olive Oil (“EVOO”)
Karo Syrup (1/4 cup maybe?)
Spices to taste
Optional Green or red bell pepper, cut similar consistency as the onions
Optional sliced mushrooms
Coat the bottom of the skillet or flat grill with the EVOO at medium heat. Sautee the onions and optional bell pepper along with the Karo syrup and your favorite spices. Sautee these right down, not quite to mush because remember you’ll probably be reheating these in/for something else, so still leave some firmness but little/no crunch; plus it’s at about this point that you’ll get the brown syrupy result of the caramelizing process.
For spice, you can use salt/black pepper/garlic, crush in some fresh garlic, whatever you prefer. Recently I’ve been using Adobo spice since it’s essentially salt/pepper/garlic all in one shaker, well pourer I mean. Actually I prefer in this mixture “Monterey” spice which is a roasted garlic and bell pepper spice by McCormick, but I have had difficulty finding it any more in the retail grocery stores. If anyone knows where I can find this spice any more, let me know.
If you’re using the optional mushrooms, you know they cook much quicker than the onions/peppers, so just throw them in for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking and toss them all around.
COOKING
For the wraps, these are 8”-10” diameter wraps you’ll find in or near the deli section generally – they come in several flavors, plain, wheat, veg, spinach, sun-dried tomato, etc. Get a couple of different varieties to vary the color. If you’re cooking several of these, lay out all of your ingredients because they cook fairly quickly and you can just work them like an assembly line. Now let’s get jiggy wid it:
Butter/margarine one side of the wrap and lay butter side down in the large medium-heat skillet or flat grill. 2 slices of the swiss cheese should cover the entire wrap.
On one half of the wrap, space out about 4 chicken strips, and spread the Marie’s bleu cheese dressing over the chicken strips. You don’t want the half covered with the chicken, space them out; you don’t need to use a lot of any one ingredient in this as it’s the combination of them that makes it work.
On the other half, cover with an even layer of the caramelized onion mixture, and then sprinkle the Gorgonzola over same
Let grill until the bottom is golden brown (or approximate if using colored wraps), fold in half and put aside on a cutting board while you start the next one. Let stand for a couple minutes and then slice into wedges.
SERVING
You can serve them right after slicing into wedges, or you can plate a bunch of these together separated by wax paper. They’re very forgiving to sitting because they’re good hot out of the pan or at room temp or anywhere in between. If bringing to a party, I’ll prep all the ingredients way in advance, then will assembly-line cook them just before leaving, on a platter separating the layers with wax paper, drive to the event, slap them on the table with no re-heating, and watch the peeps enjoy.
Although I’ve never had anything but an empty plate come back from a party, for the sake of argument they reheat well too – reheat them in the pan or flat grill, or in the mic in a sealed container on Med-High power for 30 seconds or so.
Enjoy!
VARIATION
Leftover steak? Substitute thin strips of steak for the chicken, and use a creamy horseradish sauce in place of the bleu cheese dressing!
--C
