Chicken & Cheddar Sandwiches with Arugula and Peach BBQ Sauce

Happy Spring! I feel like a broken record when I say "Where does the time go?", but it is absolutely shocking to me how quickly time goes by.  I have a toddler turning 2 in a little over 3 months, hubby and I have been married almost 5 years, and I have had this blog going for a little over 4 years.  I just took my precious Pete to the vet for a check-up this morning and realized I adopted him 6 years ago this coming June.  Wow.  Life is a whirlwind; soak it in, relish it, and make a lasting impression through the work that you do and the love that you give.  You will go to bed with a happy heart and wake up with a eager soul.  That is all we can hope for, right?

Now, let's chat about these sandwiches (with the longest title ever)!  They are messy, magnificent, sweet, and savory. 

Chicken & Cheddar Sandwiches with Arugula and Peach BBQ Sauce
Source: my own

Ingredients:
1/2 loaf ciabatta bread (or a rustic sourdough would also be great)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup (give or take) BBQ sauce
a few T. peach jam
arugula
4 slices cheddar cheese
S & P
olive oil 

The Process:
Start by warming the BBQ sauce of your choice in a pot on the stove on medium heat, stirring it occasionally.  Add a couple of spoonfuls of peach jam to the BBQ sauce while it is warming up, and stir the 2 ingredients together. Keep the BBQ sauce simmering on low while you are preparing the rest of your ingredients.

Hubby grilled 2 beautiful, organic chicken breasts (Belmont Butchery is our go-to!) on the outdoor grill.  I seasoned them first with S & P and a little bit of olive oil. 

When the chicken is cooked, bring it inside, and let it rest for a few minutes.  Slice the bread into 4 even slices.  Drizzle olive oil on one side of the bread slices.  Broil the sliced ciabatta under the oven broiler until brown and toasty.  Remove from oven. 

Assemble your sandwiches by layering the chicken, 2 slices of sharp cheddar cheese, a handful of fresh arugula, and a couple of spoonfuls (to your liking) of the peach BBQ sauce.  

At this point, you could use a panini press to finish the sandwiches.  I do not have one, so I heated up a little butter in a pan and cooked the sandwiches for a few minutes per side until they were toasty, the cheese was melted, and the sauce was bubbling from the sides.  Yum, yum, yum.  Make sure to press the sandwiches down while cooking to get everything dancing together in a happy little party.  

Then, get ready to get your hands messy.  These sandwiches go absolutely perfectly with a beer! 

Enjoy! 

Happy weekend & happy Spring ~