Why not take the flavors from your favorite Mexican recipe and turn it into a sandwich? My Mexican Chicken Sandwich is such an interesting twist to a familiar recipe. This sandwich has the same great toppings like pico de gallo, cheese and avocado on top of a chicken breast that’s been marinated and breaded with crushed tortilla chips. Yum!
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I love Mexican inspired dishes, but feel like I’ve done so many tacos and quesadillas it’s just kinda blah. I needed a change. It was time to do something really different and creative.
How to bread chicken
This is a slightly different breading than your typical breadcrumb or panko variety. To mix things up I decided to make the breading with tortilla chips. They make perfect breading in just a few seconds!
Simply drop a few handfuls of tortilla chips in a food processor and pulse the chips until they are a fine crumb. You will need a heaping cup to cover the chicken so you might need to do a couple of batches of chips depending on the size of your food processor.
If you do not have a food processor you can always break the chips by rolling them with a rolling pin. Spread your tortilla chip crumbs on a plate. Take one chicken cutlet at a time and press into the crumbs to evenly coat both sides. Repeat the process until all chicken is evenly coated.
What is Pico de Gallo?
This question has been asked at my dinner table often, “what is pico de gallo and how is it different from salsa?” So out of my own curiosity I did a little research. Pico de Gallo does have some similarities to salsa because it has ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro. The difference is that salsa is usually a thinner consistency while Pico is much chunkier. You can see the individual pieces of tomato.
Also salsa can have many flavor variations with beans, fruit, or corn. Pico de gallo never varies from its typical ingredients. Pico is fresh and not cooked which is why its in the refrigerator section of the grocery store and not jarred along side salsa.
The reason I choose pico for my recipe is because it is bigger chunks and less watery. You should still drain the liquid to help keep your bum from getting soggy!
Building the sandwich
After you have all of your chicken cooked it is time to build your sandwich! First spoon on a generous dose of aoli on your bun. Add your chicken cutlet, cheese, avocado and pico de gallo. Now you have your Mexican Chicken Sandwich, just a little twist to taco night!
Mexican Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Aoli
- 1/3 cup greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons low fat mayo
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- juice of half a lime
Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into cutlets*
- 1 heaping cup tortilla chips
- 8 slices cheddar cheese
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- 1 cup pico de gallo, drained
- package hamburger buns
Instructions
Prepare and marinate chicken
- First trim chicken of any fat and slice through horizontally to make chicken cutlets. Place chicken in large bowl. You should have 8 pieces. Set aside
- In small bowl mix all marinade ingredients together and pour over chicken. Toss to coat making sure all chicken is evenly coated. Place chicken in refrigerator to marinate for 2-4 hours.
- While chicken is marinating prepare breading by pulsing tortilla chi chips in food processor until you have a fine crumb. It will take several large handfuls. Set aside.
- Prepare aoili by mixing together mayo, Greek yogurt, cilantro, and lime juice. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Sauté Chicken
- Heat large skillet on medium high heat. While skillet is heating, bread each piece of chicken in ground tortilla chips. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, wait until oil is hot. Test with crumb to make sure it is sizzling before adding chicken cutlets.
- Working in batches cook chicken on each side for 4-5 minutes per side. Chicken should be no longer pink or 165 degrees with meat thermometer.
- After chicken is cooked assemble your sandwich with cheese, avocado slices, pico and a aioli.
Notes
Related Post:
Marinated Grilled Chicken with Blackberry Salad
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