Cheddar Chicken Grilled Cheese is not your MaMa’s grilled cheese. Thick crusty bread, shredded chicken, smoked white cheddar, and a divine Brussels sprouts slaw grilled to perfection!
Although I love traditional grilled cheese, you know the ones made with wrapped sliced cheese on white bread slathered with butter then grilled toasty brown, sometimes you need to shake it up. Besides no offense but I am at a stage in life where I like cheese with a little more.
I came across a smoked white cheddar cheese at Wal Mart, from a company called Red Apple Cheese and I love it! I’ve purchased several other of Red Apple Cheese products and love them as well.
For Tim and I, a roasted chicken will last a week to use on salads, sandwiches, and to add to pasta. Instead of a traditional grilled cheese and to give it a little more heft adding the roasted chicken sounded good.
Now I have no affiliation with Wal Mart other than shopping there….a lot, if you have not tried the pick-up service, do your self a favor and give it a try!!! It is the next best thing to sliced bread!!!! In the comfort of your own home, you pick your time and place your order. They send you a message when your order is ready, you let them know you are on the way. Pull up in the reserved spots for pick up and a lovely person comes out and loads your groceries in your car and off you go.
I know that I have bragged on my love of grocery shopping, but this is such a time saver, and if you are in a hurry, this is the bomb!!! OK, it’s the bomb even if you’re not in a hurry 🙂
Back to the sandwich. Having had burgers and other sandwiches with a slaw topping, I decided to try it on a grilled cheese. It’s time for brussels sprouts, and Tim and I both enjoy them. A few years ago, we had a recipe for bratwurst “Brussels Brats with Honey Mustard Sauce” that used a similar topping. For the brats, the brussels sprouts mixture was sauteed. With this recipe, I added a nice vinaigrette. Tangy and slightly sweet with dried cranberries and chopped pecans.
When you look at the pictures, I know what you are going to say….this doesn’t look like a grilled cheese, and no it doesn’t. I chose an Italian loaf and so again it isn’t a traditional grilled cheese. It would be fantastic in the conventional form as well!
My one dislike of making grilled cheese is sometimes it’s hard to get the cheese to melt before the bread burns. For this sandwich, I heated the chicken, shredded the cheese, and placed the heated chicken on top of the shredded cheese to give it a head start on melting. Add the Brussels Sprouts mixture just before you are ready to flip the sandwich, it doesn’t need to be heated through.
Cheddar Chicken Grilled Cheese was an experimental sandwich that went totally right! Hearty and delicious!!
Print
Cheddar Chicken Grilled Cheese
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 sandwiches 1x
- Category: Sandwich
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
8 1/2-inch-thick slices of sturdy bread (sourdough, Italian)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups grated smoked white cheddar cheese
6 ounces Brussels sprouts, finely shredded with a knife
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
Dressing
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt sea salt
Pinch of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of onion powder
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Prepare the brussels sprouts slaw by combining the shredded brussels sprouts, cranberries, and pecans in a medium bowl.
Whisk all the dressing ingredients until emulsified. Pour over the brussels sprouts mixture and mix well. Set aside.
Spread the butter evenly on one side of each of the 8 slices of bread.
Divide shredded cheese between the four buttered slices of bread.
In a microwave-safe dish, heat shredded chicken.
Evenly distribute the shredded, heated chicken on top of cheese on the bread slices.
Preheat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Place the butter side of the four slices of bread in the skillet. Allow to grill until the bread has browned.
Before turning, spread the remaining bread with butter. Divide the brussels sprouts slaw on top of the chicken. Top each sandwich with the buttered slice of bread, buttered side out. Flip the sandwich and allow to grill until golden brown
Cut each sandwich in half and serve.
Keywords: smoked white cheddar cheese, shredded chicken, brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, pecans, grilled, sandwich
I’m trying to find the brussel sprout slaw recipe but nit doesn’t seem to be listed anywhere. Everytime I click on brussel sprouts it takes me to Omaha steaks. Where can I get the recipe?
Well color me embarrassed ……..I did not add the recipe to the post!! It is there now and the brussels sprout slaw is in the recipe. Thank you for letting me know I appreciate it:)