Hello Autumn Chicken Sliders

To go along with my post from earlier this week, I thought it appropriate to share one of my first "Autumn" dishes.  I made these for a church pot luck, so there are way more than you would normally need, so adjust as needed.

First of all, I made my mom's famous dinner rolls for the sliders.  C was a huge help.  You could use any store bought variety and that would be fine.

Autumn Chicken Sliders

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Chinese Five Spice
Ground Ginger
Salt/Pepper
Slider Rolls
Cheddar Cheese, sliced thinly
Apples, sliced thinly- Gala or Granny Smith would be good.

Cut chicken into roll size pieces.  Combine 5 spice with ginger.  I used a 2:1 ratio.  Rub seasonings onto chicken then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Let sit for 10 minutes or so.

My pieces are a little big

Preheat skillet or indoor grill to medium high.  Lightly oil surface.  Cook chicken, turning once, until done- about 4 minutes each side.

Cut rolls in half.  At this point you can do one of two things.

1. Place a cheese slice on the bottom portion of each roll.  Top with a piece of chicken.  Place on cookie sheet and cover with aluminum foil.  Warm in oven preheated to 350 until cheese is melted.  Then, top with apple slice and top of roll.

2. Arrange bottom half of roll on tray.  Layer a piece of chicken, cheese, and apple and then the top of the roll.

I warmed mine in the oven

You will probably want to secure these with a toothpick.  I really liked the Chinese 5 spice combined with the apple and cheese.  I think it had nice Autumn notes without being over the top.

Chipotle Peppers in Adobe Sauce

If you don't know what these are you seriously need to go to your grocery store and find out.  The flavor of these peppers is smoky and spicy.  It craves a creamy addition and makes you want to come back for more.    It's perfect for Mexican cuisine, but can be used in lots of other applications.  The one problem is the can size.  Sure, the can looks really small. But, after you use the 1t. necessary for the recipe you realize that you could feed a whole lot of hungry Mexicans with this can of peppers.

The good news is that it keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.  I'm thinking about trying to freeze it as well.  Whenever there's a leftover can I keep my eye out for an new recipes to use it up.  This week I found a star.  Bonus, you'll never have to buy the expensive bottled version of this sauce ever again.

Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Adapted from here and here

(Sorry for the awful pic- Have I mentioned recently that I'm not a photographer?)

1 Bone in, skin on chicken breast- poached
2 Heaping T. of mayo
2.5 oz. Cream Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
6 Slices bread
1/4 C. Raspberry chipotle sauce (recipe to follow)
Spinach leaves

To poach chicken, put chicken in saucepan and fill with water to cover.  Add bay leaves, salt, onion, celery, carrots, etc. to add flavor.  Bring to simmer then reduce heat.  You want it to cook slowly in order to keep it tender.  About 45 minutes.  Cool and shred.

Soften cream cheese and mix with mayo and salt/pepper to salt.  Mix in chicken to coat.

To assemble sandwich, spread chicken on one piece of bread, pour on 1-2T. of sauce.  Top with spinach and other piece of bread.


Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

1 T. Olive oil
2 T. Diced onion
1 Clove garlic, minced
1 T. Chipotle peppers- I used the sauce in the can with a little bit of the pepper.  Use more pepper for a hotter sauce
1 Pint raspberries
1/6 C. Apple cider vinegar
1/4 t. salt
1/6 C. Brown sugar
1/6 C. White sugar

Heat oil in small sauce pan.  Sweat the onions and garlic until soft and translucent.  Add pepper, sauce, and raspberries.  Cook until raspberries are soft, about 3 minutes.  Add vinegar, salt, and sugars.  Simmer on medium low until reduced by a third.

Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth.  Press the sauce through a mesh sieve to remove seeds.  Cool before using.  Makes about 1 cup.