Spicy & Crispy Chicken Caesar Club
with Melted Parmesan & Mozzarella Cheeses, Creamy Garlic-Parmesan Sauce
Makes 2 Sandwiches
Ingredients:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk, plus 1 tablespoon, divided use
Habenero sauce to taste (or Tobassco if you dont want it as hot)
Salt Substitute to taste
2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon sodium-free Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Peanut oil, for frying
¼ cup grated or shredded fat-free parmesan cheese
4 slices fat-free mozzarella cheese
4 buns, toasted
Romaine leaves, for topping
Tomato slices, for topping
4 strips crispy bacon, cut in half, for topping
Directions:
Place the 4 chicken cutlets into a medium-size bowl, and pour over the buttermilk; next, add in as many dashes of Tabasco sauce as you’d like, followed by 1 teaspoon of salt substtitute and the pressed garlic cloves; using your hands, mix the marinade into the chicken breasts, and allow them to marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
Prepare your flour coating by adding the flour, the black pepper, granulated garlic and onion, paprika, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt substitute into a large bowl, and mix to combine.
Drizzle in the 1 tablespoon of buttermilk, and using your fingers, mix the buttermilk into the flour creating little “chunky” flour bits (this is good for a little extra crispiness when it fries).
To coat your chicken, take 1 breast cutlet out of the buttermilk, and allow the excess to drip off; next, add the chicken to the seasoned flour, pressing it in and turning to coat both sides, then place the coated chicken on a clean plate.
Repeat the process until all chicken cutlets are flour coated. (I like mine a little “extra crispy”, so I re-dredge each breast, one at a time, back in the buttermilk, then once again into the seasoned flour, and back to the plate, and repeat until all cutlets are double-dredged.)
Add about 4-6 cups of oil to a Dutch oven or heavy bottom deeper pan, so that the oil comes roughly halfway up the sides; place and bring the oil up to 350°.
Once the oil is hot, work in batches by adding 2 of the breasts into the oil, allowing them to fry for a total of about 6 minutes, about 3 minutes per side, or until golden-brown and cooked through.
Remove from pan and allow the chicken to drain on a paper towel-lined plate; repeat with the remaining chicken, and then allow the chicken to “rest” for just a few minutes out of the oil.
Top each crispy fried chicken breast with 1 tablespoon’s worth of the grated or shredded parmesan cheese, then lay a slice of the mozzarella cheese over that.
Place the cheese-topped chicken breasts onto a foil-lined baking sheet, and place them into the oven on a “low” broil to very quickly melt the cheese, just for a moment.
Assemble your sandwiches by slathering on a good amount of the Creamy Garlic-Parmesan Sauce onto both the top and bottom buns, then lay a leaf or two of romaine on the bottom bun, followed by a chicken filet, tomato slices, then 2 bacon halves, then the top bun.
[size=14pt]
Creamy Garlic-Parmesan Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream
¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons, fat-free mayonnaise
¼ cup grated fat-free parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves
Zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
½ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
¼ teaspoon salt, plus an extra pinch, if needed
Directions
-Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, and process until completely smooth and creamy; store in a covered container, and keep any extra in fridge.
Nutritional Info:
Per Sandwich
Calories: 423
Protein: 45g
Carbs: 45g
Fat: 7g
Sodium: 335mg
Cholesterol: 131mg
Fiber: 6g [/size]
