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Spicy Honey Chicken Sandwich w/Crispy Fennel Chips

Alana Kysar

You guys, I'm so pumped to share that this week I'm partnering with Tabasco and taking their 10 Ingredient Challenge!! What exactly does that mean? Well, it means that all week (starting today!) I'll be sharing recipes I've developed using only the following 10 ingredients chosen by Steph, i am a food blog. Yup, I'm cookin' with ONLY the ten ingredients below all week long. Luckily, I don't have to use ALL ten in every recipe, 'cause that'd be pretty crazy! So get ready for five whole recipes using only the following:

Tabasco (Original Red, Green Jalapeño, or Chipotle)
Chicken
Eggs
Mozzarella
Fennel
Zucchini
Rice (Brown, Basmati, Jasmine, or Wild)
Rigatoni
Ciabatta
Honey

Bonus Ingredients: Salt, Pepper, and Oil

I have to admit, I'm pretty into this challenge because honestly, I find myself Master Cheffing it up on a weekly basis, pulling together the best meals I possibly can using only what's on hand, 'cause...LAZY. Dragging my booty to the store is the last thing I want to do at four o'clock on a Wednesday, and a girl can only InstaCart so many times before she embarrassingly gets to know all the shoppers and delivery crew really well, like 'you don't like bell peppers either!?' well. 

The minute I saw Tabasco, chicken, mozzarella, fennel, zucchini, ciabatta, and honey, I knew I had to whip up a spicy chicken sandwich. I mean, how could I NOT?!? Exactly, it was a done deal--spicy honey chicken is totally my jam!! I am already loving day one of this challenge. And seriously, bonus points for this challenge totally stepping up my Monday lunch game!

SPICY HONEY CHICKEN SANDWICH W/CRISPY FENNEL CHIPS RECIPE

Makes 2 sandwiches, can easily be doubled, tripled, etc.

INGREDIENTS

CRISPY FENNEL CHIPS

  • 1/2 fennel bulb, cored and thinly shredded/sliced

  • 2 Tbsp. high-heat canola oil

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

SPICY HONEY CHICKEN

  • 2 boneless, skinless, pounded, chicken cutlets

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil

  • 4 Tbsp. honey

  • 2 tsp. Tabasco, red

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

TOPPINGS/ASSEMBLY

  • 2 ciabatta buns, halved

  • Olive oil, for brushing

  • 1/2 zucchini, cut lengthwise, into 1/16" slices (using a peeler)

  • 1 large mozzarella ball, cut into 1/4" slices

TOOLS

  • Chef's knife and bread knife

  • Cutting board

  • Large heavy bottomed skillet

  • Paper towels

  • Small saucepan

  • Tongs

  • Spatula

  • Whisk

  • Pastry brush

  • Meat thermometer

  • Grill pan/toaster

FIX

CRISPY FENNEL CHIPS

  1. Heat high-heat canola oil in a heavy bottom skillet on medium-high heat and coat the bottom. Heat until the oil shimmers then add half the thinly shredded/sliced fennel.

  2. Fry until crispy and golden and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to cool.

  3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

  4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 with the second half of fennel.

  5. Set aside

SPICY HONEY CHICKEN

  1. Preheat oven to 375° F.

  2. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom skillet on medium heat and coat the bottom. Heat until the oil shimmers, around 2 to 3 minutes.

  3. While oil heats, generously salt and pepper both sides of the chicken cutlets. 

  4. Carefully place the cutlets in the pan and brown on for four minutes. Flip with a spatula or tongs and brown the other side for four more minutes. 

  5. Meanwhile, combine honey and Tabasco in a small saucepan and heat on medium. Heat until mixture is bubbly, thick, and has reduced slightly. Immediately remove heat.

  6. Brush both sides of chicken cutlets with honey mixture and transfer pan to oven. Cook for 10 minutes, flipping once and brushing with any remaining honey mixture. After 10 minutes, check the thickest part with a meat thermometer, it's done when it reaches 165°F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can poke one of the cutlets with a knife and if the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked. If it’s not ready, cook for 3 more minutes and check again.

  7. Transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.

TOPPINGS/ASSEMBLY

  1. Brush ciabatta buns with olive oil and toast in a toaster or grill on a grill/grill pan.

  2. Layer 2 to 3 zucchini ribbons on the bottom half of your ciabatta bun, followed by spicy honey chicken, mozzarella, and crispy fennel chips. Top with top ciabatta bun.

  3. Serve and enjoy!

Pssttt, Tabasco, you're awesome for sponsoring this post. All opinions, ideas, and enthusiastic fist pumps are my own. Also, if you want to follow along and see what everyone else is whipping up, this week, search #Tabasco10 on social media!