There aren't a lot of restaurant options in Vermillion at the best of times, but back when we could go out, Mr. Smith's was always one of our favorites. Nestled inside the local Ace Hardware, it's a great spot to go for a sandwich, fried chicken, or a loaf of bread. Ariel's favorite sandwich there is the portabella chicken breast. As we're staying home as much as possible, I decided to recreate the sandwich at home. This recipe makes four sandwiches. We enjoyed two with sautéed yellow squash from the garden and saved two for lunch the next day.
As the name suggests, the original sandwich uses chicken breast and portabella mushrooms. I cheated a bit and used chicken thighs and cremini mushrooms instead, which are what I happened to have available from our Costco run last week. The chicken is simply seasoned with lemon pepper, but if you have a preference for something else, go for it. For the bread, I used soft potato rolls. While these are great for hamburgers, I would ideally use something a little heartier. For toppings, we added some romaine lettuce, sliced avocado, and Kenji's ranch dressing.
As I don't tend to order the sandwich, I can't personally attest to how close it was to the original, but it did taste good, and Ariel approved. As sandwiches go, the filling was quite loose, so eating them was a bit of a mess. A better bread choice would have mitigated that problem, I think. If preferred, the sandwich filling could also be adapted as a rice or pasta dish, similar to my chicken and bell peppers. To do this, I would deglaze the pan with a little white wine and chicken stock, reduce and thicken with potato or corn starch.
Ingredients
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced into strips
- 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 chicken thighs (about 1 lb.)
- Sliced cheese (select something good for melting; I used Havarti)
- 4 hamburger buns or other choice of bread
- Lemon pepper
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Choice of sandwich vegetables and/or spreads
Instructions
If working with bone-in thighs, carefully remove the bone and skin, and save for another use. Cut the chicken into small pieces, about 1 inch squares.
In a skillet or sauté pan with a lid, heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions for a few minutes, until softened. Add the sliced mushrooms and continue cooking for several more minutes, allowing water to cook off from the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper as they cook. Set aside when done.
Turn the heat up to medium high and add a little more oil. Sauté the chicken pieces, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and lightly browned.
Turn the heat down to low. Return the onion and mushroom mixture to the pan. Stir to combine everything. Use a spatula to divide into 4 sections. Top with sliced cheese. Cover the pan and allow the cheese to melt.
Meanwhile, prepare the bread. Toast, if desired and start assembling the sandwiches. We put a layer of ranch and lettuce on the bottom. Use a spatula to transfer a section of the filling onto the bread. It will be quite loose, so do this carefully. Finish assembling. We added sliced avocado and more ranch on the top.
A beauty.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned about keeping veggies longer. We like Romain lettuce as it can hold for weeks. We would eat the outer leaves from each bunch and the rest would be ok for three to four weeks, once the out few leaves are eaten. Costco’s big bags of broccoli florets and Brussels sprouts are amazing for storage for weeks. Carrots are good too as is cabbage. Cucumbers and zucchini aren’t good. Some varieties of avocados can last amazingly well. Once close to ripe, the take them to the fridge. Tomatoes are good too. Hope this helps.