Grilled Chicken, MTB Sandwiches

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It just takes too long to say Grilled Chicken Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Sandwiches, especially when five people ask you, at east once, "what's for dinner?" It's especially annoying when you post the menu on the fridge every week and they still ask, every day.

My kids are surprising me lately with their "grown-up tastes." I planned these sandwiches for dinner yesterday, but I really thought most of the children would eat just chicken and bread. All but one, however, ate the whole sandwich, with M,T, and B. They were good. I actually think the kids liked them better than I did, but it was chilly out and I was more in the mood for comfort food. They all gave it a thumbs up, so here it is. I'll try it again when it gets warmer outdoors.

The impetus for the creation of these sandwiches was a quick interview I heard on the radio the other day with someone from COSI. I've never eaten there, but heard an interview with someone from the restaurant and he was talking about this sandwich which is on their menu. It sounded yummy. Since I haven't eaten there myself, I had nothing to go on, and looked up some recipes online. I ended up doing my own thing anyway. I used a lemon-herb marinade that I like and cut back on the lemon juice a little. I didn't want it to be extremely lemony. And I took a shortcut by picking up some French Country bread at Giant Eagle -- it was a day I wasn't going to have time to bake bread. The French Country bread looks like a regular baguette, but it is softer in the middle and the crust is not quite so hard. It was easy to eat. I really wanted ciabatta rolls or soft flat bread but couldn't find any.

Grilled Chicken, Mozzarella, Tomato and Basil Sandwiches

serves 6

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 3 cutlets
(cut through the breast horizontally so you get a thin slice that is
the same width and length as the breast)
Lemon-Herb Marinade (below)
2 large tomatoes
2 large mozzarella balls, sliced into thick slices
12 large basil leaves, rinsed and dried
6 ciabatta buns or
2 long loaves French Country bread, cut into six-inch pieces
Italian salad dressing (optional)

Marinate chicken for two to four hours in refrigerator.
Remove from marinate and grill on medium-low for a few minutes on each side
until chicken is cooked through.
On each bread piece, layer two slices chicken,
two slices cheese, two slices tomato and two basil leaves.
Dress with a few teaspoons of your favorite Italian Salad dressing, if desired.
Top with bread top and smash top down.



Lemon-Herb Marinade

1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
3 T. lemon juice, fresh or bottled
1 t. minced garlic
1½ t. dried thyme


Combine oil, juice, garlic and thyme.
Place chicken breasts in a shallow bowl or ziploc bag
and pour marinade over chicken.


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