More than a few foodie people I know, me included, secretly fantasize about owning a small-town, mom-and-pop-type diner -- a simple little eatery, with a dozen or so counter stools, plus a few booths lined up in front of a row of windows too. A safe harbor where the local clientele can meander in almost any time of day for a cup of coffee and breakfast, the lunch or dinner special, or, a slice of lemon meringue pie. A big piece of juicy barbecued chicken, hot out of the skillet, slathered in a copious amount of semi-caramelized barbecue sauce served up in a brioche roll with a side macaroni or potato salad would be one such special on Mel's Diner menu.
Mom-&-pop diner fare is perhaps some of my favorite food.
4-6 hot-out-of-the skillet, whole barbecue-sauced chicken-thigh paillards
4-6 brioche hamburger-type rolls, preferably toasted, 1 roll per sandwich
8-12 slices yellow American or yellow cheddar cheese, 2 slices cheese per sandwich
2 cups baby romaine leaves, 1/3 cup lettuce per sandwich
1-1 1/4 cups thin-sliced red onion pieces, 1/4 cup onion pieces per sandwich
4-6 sliced Campari tomatoes, 3-4 small, Campari tomato slices per sandwich
~Step 1. To assemble each sandwich, place the bottom of a toasted roll on a plate. Arrange two slices of cheese atop the warm roll, followed by a hot, barbecue chicken-thigh paillard. Place a generous layer of baby romaine atop the the chicken, followed by a scattering of onion pieces and 3-4 small slices of Campari tomatoes. Add the toasty top of the roll and eat ASAP.
Add a BBQ-sauced chicken sandwich to your diner menu:
Try my Barbecue-Sauced Chicken-Thigh Paillard Salad too:
The Lunch Special BBQ-Sauced Chicken Sandwich: Recipe yields 4-6 chicken sandwiches.
Special Equipment List: cutting board; chef's knife; serrated bread knife; toaster or toaster oven
Cook's Note: A Paillard, a noun, is a thin, lightly-pounded cut, large or small, of any type of meat -- most commonly beef, chicken, lamb, pork or veal. That said, occasionally, in certain culinary applications, firm seafood, like lobster, shrimp or scallops, can, for the right reason, become a paillard. It's also possible to use some vegetables to make a paillard. Paillard, the verb, generally speaking, means to lightly-pound. I'm using a boneless chicken thighs as an example: ~ To Paillard or Not to Paillard -- & Define a Paillard ~.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2021)
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