Day 51, If It's Tuesday it Must Be Chicken

Monday, San Diego mandated masks when out and about.  Making these was fun, but being dyslexic, everything gets a little more complicated.  I can't stress enough that these masks aren't for me, we wear them for you so that you won't get sick if we have the virus but are asymptomatic.
As we headed into Tuesday, it was going to get hot here at the coast, in the 80's by Wednesday.  I spent the morning doing some cleanup, then tried to decide what to have for dinner.  Since I've been cooking a lot, the choices have to make me happy (see sourdough) The recipe I decided on was a garlic Dijon chicken sandwich that our son-in-law had made last summer when we were visiting them in Connecticut.   You can marinate the chicken in the morning, make the dressing, and then grill at night.  It's really simple, and the results are awesome.
The original recipe, which I've tweaked considerably, was published in Bon Appetit magazine---they described the dressing as "Caesar-ish"--- no, Caesar doesn't have basil or Dijon mustard in it.  So there's that.

Grilled Dijon Garlic Chicken Sandwiches

Serves 4

I served these are brioche buns, but potato rolls would be fab as well.  

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat

salt and pepper

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup finely chopped basil or Italian parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped cornichons

3 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce 

Brioche buns for serving

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and put into a zip-lock bag.  

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mustard, Worcestershire, garlic, lemon juice, zest, and oil.  Pour 1/2 of the mixture into the zip-lock bag with the chicken, seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.  

Whisk the mayonnaise, basil and cornichons into the remaining marinade, cover, and refrigerate.

Remove the chicken from the fridge and remove from the marinade.  Preheat the grill or a grill pan, and grill the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through.  

Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.  Thinly slice the chicken.  

Toss the romaine with some of the dressing, mound some of the salad onto a bun.  

                             Top with some of the chicken, and additional dressing if desired.  

You can definitely add vine-ripened tomatoes, and sliced onion to this, as well.  It was a lovely dinner with a side of fresh pineapple, which, by the way, are amazing right now, so when you are at the supermarket, pick up a pineapple.  The dressing would be good on its own as a dressing for potato or pasta salad, or as a dip for fresh veggies.  The marinade would be delicious as a marinade for salmon, or lamb.  

So, it's Wednesday, day 52, and I think today since it's going to be quite warm here at the coast, we will try and get in another walk on the beach.  I'm kind of tired of the neighborhood walk, so it's off to the beach for us, social distanced, wearing a mask, and enjoying the sand.  

Stay safe and stay well.