Monday, April 30, 2012

Charlie's Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Did you guys know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month?  Yeah, me neither.


I was wondering why grilled cheese sandwiches were popping up everywhere I looked.  In my food magazines, on food blogs, even on the special menus at some of my favorite restaurants in Chicago.  I was feeling festive and decided I'd come up with an original grilled cheese in honor of my husband.  Enter the Sriracha Pepper Jack Chicken Finger Grilled Cheese.  Yes.  I know.  Drool face up in here. 

Start off with two good slices of white bread...


Then, mix equal parts of Sriracha hot sauce and Hellman's Mayo and brush it on the outside layers of the bread, like this:


On a griddle pan or saute pan, put the sauce side down and layer on two slices of pepper jack cheese:


Slice up a chicken finger (I just picked up a couple of chick fings from the hot foods section of my grocery store) and layer that on top of the cheese.


Now, it starts to get real ugly.  Add TWO MORE slices of pepper jack cheese on top of the chicken finger.


Add the other slice of bread on top, sauce side out, then flip.  The sun was glaring through the skylight this morning, sorry about the over exposure, but you get the idea.


Now, flip.  Golden, crunchy, delicious.  
 
 Ohhhh boy.  I'm not messing around here.  This was just RIDIC. 
 

Putting mayo on the outside of the bread, instead of butter, is actually a trick I learned from my mom. Think about all of the possibilities.  Garlic mayo, ranch mayo, dill mayo...I could go on and on.  Mayo is basically made from oil, eggs, and vinegar - perfect ingredients to give the outside of the bread some crunch and extra flavor.
 
Almost every Sunday, Charlie makes a pepper jack cheese and chicken finger sub.  He might have even gotten that idea from his brother...I'm not sure.  But it's been a weekend special in our house for a couple of years now.  This new guy is going to give his sub a run for its money. 


Don't you just love the golden red color the Sriracha gives the outside of the crust?  YUMMMM.
 
What's your favorite twist on a grilled cheese?  Stay hungry! 

2 comments:

  1. This just looks so yummy and easy to make. I pinned it so that I can remember to make it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mmm this looks unbelievable. It looks like it would taste great with tomato soup!

    ReplyDelete

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