Chicken, Bacon & Basil Mayo Sandwiches

I love sandwiches. When I saw this recipe come up I knew it'd be great for dinner and lunch the
following day. 

This recipe did not disappoint. If you love bruschetta, you'll love this sandwich. The balsamic marinated tomatoes really puts this over the top. So good. I'll be ordering this one again. 

What I'll do different though when I do. The flat bread they provided was good size. Two flatbreads took up a full baking sheet. But they only provided three strips of bacon. That is NOT enough bacon in my humble opinion. I felt like I needed just a little more bacon. Although, truth be told, you could leave off the bacon and this recipe would stand on it's own. 

I'd also add more tomato. The package only had one small Roma tomato. regardless of of thin you slice it, that's not that much tomato per sandwich. It needed a little more. 

And last, but not least, I'd grill the chicken next time. You know I can't not grill my chicken. 

Chicken, Bacon & Basil Mayo Sandwiches

Recipe from Hello Fresh

Serves 2

• 4 oz bacon, cooked
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 5 T Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 T Italian Seasoning
• 2 flatbreads
• 1 oz Basil paste (pesto)
• 2 T mayo
• 10 oz chicken

Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Heat a large dry pan over medium- high heat. Add bacon; cook, turning occasionally and adjusting heat if browning too quickly, until crispy, 6-10 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Wipe out pan and let cool slightly.

While the bacon is cooking, halve tomato lengthwise and thinly slice into half-moons. Halve, peel, and thinly slice shallot. Peel and mince or grate garlic. 

In a small bowl, combine tomato, shallot, garlic, balsamic vinegar, 1⁄4 tsp sugar [JW note: I did not add this. I wanted the salad more savory than sweet], and a pinch of Italian Seasoning. [JW note: I added about a tsp of olive oil at this stage instead of where it calls for it later. ] Set aside to marinate.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels; place between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin until chicken is about 1⁄2 inch thick. Season with remaining Italian Seasoning, a pinch of salt, and pepper. 

Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for bacon over medium-high heat. [JW Note: I used the bacon grease already in the pan. I  took most out and left about 1/2 tablespoon. ] Add chicken; cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side.

While the chicken is cooking, place flatbreads on a baking sheet. Toast on top rack, flipping halfway through, until golden, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; halve crosswise. 

In a second small bowl, combine basil paste and mayonnaise.

Pour balsamic mixture from tomato salad into two small serving bowls. Add 1 tsp olive oil to each bowl; stir to combine. [JW note: This step didn't make sense to me. I just added the tomato mixture to the sandwich. The package only came with a Roma tomato and there isn't really enough for two sandwiches AND left over salad to eat. ]

Spread flatbreads with basil mayo. Fill with bacon, chicken, and as much tomato salad as you like. Close sandwiches and halve crosswise.