Grilled Tomato, Basil, Chicken and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

Tapping my feet, pacing, contemplating, thinking of what to do for dinner. My mind goes haywire with endless possibilities yet I am restrained with the reality of my culinary skills, or should I say lack there of. So I flip open my lap top and turn to my trusty Epicurious for the answer, and then I find it.

Grilled Tomato, Basil, and Goat Cheese Sandwiches. Perfect!

Due to the rain, I had to alter the recipe's call for the grill and pan fry the sandwich instead. I also added a few slices of chicken to vamp it up a bit.

Though it's simple, it was out of this world. A crunchy, buttery, cheesy concoction with a slight salty cut of the olives gave way to the ultimate satisfaction for my initial yearning.

Without further adieu....

Grilled Tomato, Basil, Chicken and Goat Cheese Sandwiches 

Ingredients: 

1 16 oz French-bread baguette
1/2 cup olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoon chipped mixed fresh herbs (I used tarragon, thyme, and rosemary)
3/4 cup soft fresh goat cheese (plain, peppered, or herbed)
2 large plum tomatoes, thinly sliced into rounds
1 cup coarsely chopped pitted Mediterranean olives
2 lbs. chicken breast, fillet them  to about a 1/4-1/2 inch so they cook evenly



Preparation: 

1. On medium heat, slowly fry the chick breasts with a touch of the olive oil mixture. Cover to keep the juices in
2. Cut baguette crosswise in half. Cut each half lengthwise in half to form 4 pieces total
3. Combine oil, garlic, and herbs in a small bowl.
4. Brush all cut sides of bread with half of oil mixture.
5. Fry toast, cut sides down until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Remove from pan
6. Quickly spread cut sides of toast with goat cheese. Top with tomatoes and olives, dividing equally
7. Drizzle remaining oil mixture on top.
8. Return open-faced sandwiches to pan. Cook until bottom sides are toasted, cheese melts, and tomatoes begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
9. Cut each sandwich diagonally in half and serve.


Serve with a chilled beer and your favorite potato chips.