Thursday, August 22, 2013

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Sandwich

I ran into the grocery store after church Sunday in order to pick up some bread for lunch. I had cooked a roast Saturday, making sure we'd have plenty of leftovers for Sunday - I try not to cook on Sundays. I happened to see a package of those yummy Hawaiian buns and was struck by a relatively rare impulse to buy something with questionable ingredients (well, the sandwich bread wasn't perfect, either, but it didn't have trans fats or HFCS). I had no idea what I was going to do with the buns at that moment but even that didn't stop me.

Later Sunday afternoon as I began working on my menu for the week I was faced with decided what to do with those buns. Pinterest to the rescue! And I found this:

Click above for original recipe.

Basically you cook chicken in BBQ sauce and serve it on toasted Hawaiian buns with coleslaw and grilled pineapple. Be sure to click on the original recipe for more specific details but here's a brief description of how I did it.

Slice two boneless chicken breasts into thin strips, season to taste (I used garlic salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning) and cook in a little olive oil in skillet. When cooked, remove to plate and in same skillet cook cut up fresh pineapple (I chose to use fresh pineapple rather than canned slices and not fire up the grill) until lightly browned and softened. Put pineapple in bowl and set aside. In same skillet pour in a little pineapple juice (1/4 cup?), some ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and splash of Jack Daniel's (or whiskey of choice). Stir well and taste, adjusting ingredients until you have a nice BBQ sauce. Put the chicken back in the skillet with the BBQ sauce and simmer until sauce has thickened. 

Serve on toasted buns with the pineapple and homemade coleslaw:

Mix shredded red cabbage with a dressing made of 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, salt and pepper. Refrigerate an hour or so. 

This made 4 very delicious (and messy) sandwiches. I served them with baked waffle fries and fresh grapes. We all agreed that this recipe is a keeper. And I may even attempt to make my own Hawaiian buns next time.