Sloppy Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches

Today’s recipe is one of those things that came about simply because everything else just didn’t sound particularly appealing to me.  Last weekend we’d done up a few rotisserie chickens on the grill and had a whole lot leftover.  With a bit of a warm up in the air (finally!) the usual leftover treatments weren’t going to fly.  I briefly toyed with the idea of a pulled chicken barbecue sandwich, but a quick peek reminded me that we were out of barbecue sauce and low on ketchup- so a homemade sauce wasn’t going to happen either.  But as I sat there peering in the fridge, debating my options, my eyes alighted on the jar of pasta sauce that was about 2/3 full.  I quickly dismissed it as pasta with red sauce did not sound good at all- especially with leftover chicken in it.  But then I came back to the sauce and slowly started thinking of the possibilities…

If only I had some Mozzarella on hand, my thought process would have gone bigger- I flirted with the idea of manicotti- thin pancakes stuffed with chicken and bathed in marinara and cheese before baking.  I tossed around the idea of a chicken calzone of sorts, and then it came to me.  Chicken Parmesan- only in sandwich form.  Not only did this work well in terms of being quick to put together, it tasted great, and was a welcome change to the usual suspects that get placed on a standard hamburger bun.

By the time I got both carcasses picked clean, I had about 5 cups of chicken that I coarsely chopped and added to my small, 4 quart crock-pot.   It may have been closer to 6 cups, but I didn’t really measure it.  Then I took the two cups of marinara from the fridge and added that to the pot as well.  I thought about stopping there, but this particular sauce was a little boring, so I wanted to amp it up.

To 2 teaspoons of olive oil, I added one onion that had been finely chopped and cooked that down for a few minutes until soft.  Next, I chopped up a pair of Marconi red peppers and added those to the pan.  (One whole red bell pepper, chopped will work the same).  I cooked those together for a few more minutes, and then added three garlic cloves that I’d minced, as well as a heaping teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning.

Oh, the fragrance that was wafting up from that pan was heavenly!  I cooked this whole mixture together for about three minutes- enough to soften the vegetables, cook the garlic and really open up the dried spices.  Then I dumped these right into the crock-pot as well, gave everything a stir and added the lid.  I cooked this concoction on low for four hours while we were away, and when we came home, dinner was ready.  I scooped out the Sloppy Chicken onto whole wheat burger buns, and gave each one a generous sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese.  After that, I added a slice of Provolone cheese and then popped them under the broiler to toast.  A completely optional step, but delicious none the less.  These sandwiches were well received by the whole family, and were a great way to utilize leftovers in a completely new way.

Sloppy Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches

5 or 6 cups leftover cooked chicken, coarsely chopped

2 cups prepared marinara sauce

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 heaping teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Burger Buns, Parmesan Cheese and Provolone Cheese for serving

Directions:

Spray a 4-quart crock-pot with cooking spray.  Add the chicken and marinara sauce to the pot.

In a saute pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook for three minutes, or until softened.  Add the bell pepper and cook for another two minutes.  Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for an additional two minutes or until very fragrant.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Add the sauteed mixture to the crock-pot and give everything a stir to combine.  Add the lid to the pot and turn it on to the low setting.  Cook for 4 hours on low.

To serve, top each bun with a portion of the mixture and sprinkle each serving with Parmesan, and then add a slice of Provolone as well.  For added flavor, run the sandwiches (open-faced) under the broiler for a minute to brown and toast the Provolone on top.  Serve immediately.

Makes about 8 sandwiches.