Chicken Sandwiches with Red Onions, Goat Cheese & a Balsamic Drizzle

Of all the feasts I've prepared, I don't think of ever seen Dave as excited as he was for sandwiches. He admitted, 'it's because we never have sandwiches for dinner!' Well, I hope he's always this easy to please :)

Tuesdays nights are always a difficult night to get dinner on the table at a decent hour. With our weekly newsletter publish on Wednesdays, Tuesdays are never fun for Travelzooers. So usually I try to plan dinner that can either be prepped in advance, or that can be made very quickly, like this one that I made in about 15 minutes.

Now I have to admit, as easy as this sandwich sounds, it was a recipe out of a cookbook with a balsamic glaze and after 2 tries, I gave up on the glaze completely. I couldn't time it properly. I'd leave it to reduce, which takes some time and always look away or leave the room at the wrong moment and by the time I'd get back it would be bitter. Well, after wasting several portions of the balsamic, I decided a simple drizzle of balsamic over the chicken would do just fine and of course it did. Still, while these were just sandwiches, they felt like a meal and served with a simple side salad, I guess they technically were.

Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Sandwiches with Red Onions and Goat Cheese from Cooking Light Cook Smart Eat Well
(this is the attempted recipe, I'm sure you can figure out the 'balsamic drizzle' ;)

3/4c balsamic vinegar
1/2c dry red wine
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 1/2c thinly vertically sliced red onion
3-oz goat cheese
4 kaiser rolls (or baguette)
1c arugula, plus more for side salads

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 12 minutes -- maybe I should have paid more attention to this note!). Remove from heat and cool slightly.

While vinegar mixture cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper, add to pan and cook for 4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from pan, cut into thin slices, cover and keep warm.

Add oil to the pan, reduce the temperature to medium-low and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft and beginning to brown, stirring frequently. Remove oven from heat.

Spread some goat cheese on each roll/bread and arrange the chicken on top, then add the onion. Drizzle each with about 1 Tbsp balsamic mixture and top with arugula and the other half of the roll.

Results: Well, I've already alluded to the problems, but despite the lack of balsamic-glaze, these sandwiches were delicious. I recommend toasting the bread or bun before. This was such a change from our typical dinner that it reminds me, sometimes simple is better.