Triple Decker Delight

The other day, I made myself my first triple decker sandwich. It had layers upon layers of flavour.

I used white sandwich bread [with added fibre and nutrients], like your typical club sandwich, toasted to perfection.

To crank up the flavour to traditional mayonnaise, I added lemon, paprika, salt, pepper and fresh-roasted garlic. Then I slathered it onto each slice of bread [the middle layer of bread had it on both sides].

I heated through turkey deli meat to build a bit of crust on them and to add some specialty dijon mustard I bought in France. The mustard was flavoured with Herbes de Provence to give the turkey a nice bite.

On top of that, I melted some cheese and topped it with caramelized onions.

The top layer of the sandwich had more turkey, half an avocado, two slices of beefsteak tomato and organic greens. Almost like a California-style sandwich.

Semi-nutritious, completely delicious!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

I’m a little late on this post, but at least it’s being posted!

Almost two weeks ago, I made deep-fried ravioli for dinner at a sleepover at my house. For that recipe, I needed buttermilk so I bought a litre of buttermilk. So of course, I had leftover buttermilk… and lots of it! For breakfast, I made my friends some homemade buttermilk biscuits—the one recipe I always make with buttermilk [because it’s so comforting and delicious!].

Sadly, I still had plenty of buttermilk left. A few days later, I decided to try something different than the usual buttermilk biscuits, so I made sweet potato/potato mash and crispy chicken strips. Rather than milk and/or sour cream in the mash, I put buttermilk [which gave the same flavour and creaminess as adding sour cream]. And for added flavour and tenderness, I marinaded the chicken in buttermilk.

I’ve made chicken strips before, but these were great! Tender, juicy, crispy, full of flavour. The buttermilk marinade was well worth the wait [I walked my dog while they were marinating] and the choice of using panko bread crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs made them crispier. In fact, I used honey panko bread crumbs for a hint of sweetness. It is very important to season the panko because it adds more flavour to the strips. I used paprika for colour [smoked paprika would be prefered]. I also added dried parsley and dried basil for flavour. There are plenty of herbs that would go well. Oregano, marjoram, you name it!

The only thing that sucks about this recipe is the amount of time it takes. You have to cut the chicken breasts, marinate them, dip and bread them, then fry them. It takes time, but it’s all worth it! With the extra potato I had from the mashed potatoes, I turned them into fries to eat with my chicken strips. What a classic combination!

One more thing that was not so great for me? I still have more buttermilk to use. Luckily it expires in 2 weeks so I have plenty of time to experiment!

Please try this recipe! You will love feeling like a kid again!

 

SERVINGS

4 servings

TOTAL TIME

2 hours (1-hour marinating time)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups of panko bread crumbs
• salt
• pepper
• paprika
• dried basil
• dried parsley
• garlic powder
• vegetable or canola oil for deep-frying

PREPARATION

1. Carefully cut the chicken breasts into even 1/2-inch thick strips.
2. In a bowl or resealable plastic bag, add the buttermilk, salt and pepper. Cover and let sit for at least 1 hour.
3. Fill a frying pan/pot with 2 inches of oil. Heat over high heat.
4. Prepare two shallow bowls. One bowl for the 2 beaten eggs; the other for the mixture of panko bread crumbs, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried parsley, dried basil. Dip each strip in the egg then place into panko mixture to coat. Place on a large pan/tray/plate.
5. Once the oil is hot and ready, fry a few chicken strips at a time, not to crowd the pot. Flip them halfway to cook evenly. Once golden brown, 5-7 minutes, transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.
6. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.