Foodie Friday: Italian Chicken Sandwiches

This week, my husband informed me he has been without nicotine or red meat for three weeks. This is a grossly inaccurate statement. He has been without nicotine for two weeks and red meat for one. He stood before me, forcing his hands to tremor in an overly exaggerated manner to show me just how badly his withdrawal symptoms are affecting him. Sigh, he is a lot. Although he seems to be past the wanting to murder me stage of nicotine withdrawal, his moods can turn on a dime. He does a lot of mumbling to himself, which could possibly land him in a shallow grave after meeting a most untimely death, probably caused by blunt force trauma to his perfect little bald head. However, despite his mood swings and unnecessary theatrics, I am quite proud of him for breaking such an unhealthy habit. I must also remember that he has given up smoking upon my request. So, exercising monumental patience is a necessary requirement for me.

As for not having red meat for a week, it has not been intentional. I have just created a weekly menu that happens to be based on chicken. I must be transparent: With his commitment to breaking his smoking habit, I am also trying to instill a better diet for us all. I am buying more fruit and placing it washed in bowls on the counter so it is an easy grab. I'm creating veggie trays with dips from Broken Locust as a midday snack, and I am baking or making homemade sweet treats for when he and The Bean have a sugar attack. As an unannounced reward for quitting smoking, I made him no-bake cookies.

Rather than making cheeseburgers, which we frequently have, I made broiled Italian chicken sandwiches on grilled brioche buns, with pesto, provolone cheese, bibb lettuce, and fresh tomatoes. Served with a fresh salad and homemade fries, it was a delightful meal with a lower fat content. Despite his complaints about it not being a burger, The Bibbed Wonder declared it a great sandwich and ate four.

This sandwich idea is pretty straightforward. I took thinly sliced chicken breasts, pounded them even thinner, placed them in a Ziploc bag, and marinated them overnight in Zesty Italian salad dressing. I then broiled them in the oven because we don't yet have our grill set up for grilling season. I broiled them on each side for five to six minutes. While the chicken was broiling, I brushed olive oil on the bottoms of the brioche buns and grilled them on a flat griddle on the stove. I then brushed each bun top with DeLallo's pesto. Before removing the chicken from the broiler, I topped each breast with a slice of provolone cheese and allowed it to melt and get slightly brown. The chicken was placed atop the bun, then topped with lettuce and tomato.

It's not a complicated recipe, dear reader, but it was delicious and easy. It all came together in under thirty minutes, which is greatly appreciated during our busy season. It was something a bit different than a cheeseburger and slightly healthier. However, tonight, while our baby girl is attending her first prom, I have offered to take my nicotine-free buddy out for a good old-fashioned cheeseburger at a restaurant of his choice, as long as it isn't fast food. With two weeks off his pipe, I think he deserves a cheeseburger. Also, it might make him a little more pleasant; it certainly can't hurt. Sigh.

On this overcast and chilly Friday, stay safe, be smart, enjoy good food, make better choices when you can, reward yourself for wins, and keep washing your hands.