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I try to avoid fast food if I can, but I think it’s impossible to do
completely in our fast-paced world filled with corporate restaurant
chains. When I find myself standing at the counter looking at the menu, I
always seem to gravitate to the “limited time offer” items, which can
be a bit of a gamble. The most famous of these is probably the legendary
McRib from McDonald’s featuring a pork patty molded to look like a rack
of ribs. That’s scary to me. I think I’d rather eat lunch meat from a
99¢ store.
That said, I have to admit, I was impressed by a new temporary treat at Arby‘s called the Smokin’ Chipotle Chicken Sandwich with breaded chicken, pepper bacon, chipotle barbecue sauce and pickled jalapeños. It was the kind of sandwich that I would make on a Saturday afternoon, and for this recipe, that is exactly what I did – create my own version of the new Arby‘s sandwich. I breaded the chicken myself, but it can be made much quicker with store-bought breaded chicken from the freezer aisle.
BEHIND THIS BITE
for a long time to do a recipe like this. I just had to find the right
inspiration. Like I said, I try to avoid fast-food, but it’s nearly
impossible. It’s just to easy and convenient
to avoid entirely. (unless you live in New York City, more on this in a future post) I was running around recently, taking care of business when I
stopped to grab a quick bite to eat at Arby’s. The Smokin’ Chipotle
Chicken Sandwich presented me with the opportunity I had been waiting
for – A limited time offer from a fast food restaurant that I could create my own version of for the column.
If you haven’t found yourself at one time or another salivating over a
commercial for the latest concoction offered at the local chain restaurant, then frankly you don’t like food or lost your sense of taste and smell.
Smokin’ Chipotle Sandwich has all the elements of my style of cooking.
The chicken is breaded for texture, it contains a special
sauce and the pickled jalapeños provide some kick. Most chain restaurants
advertise “spicy” or “hot” and it’s usually weak to me, but the
sandwich actually has some punch. I love the combination of chipotle with bacon, the smoky tastes really compliment each other and I use this combination all the time. Needless to say, I was impressed.
creation inspired this recipe, it’s not the exact recipe found in stores. The sandwich I create is
superior in taste and is better for you health-wise. After all,
it is prepared by an experienced cook with knowledge of a few
cooking techniques and armed with fresh ingredients. At Arby’s, it will be made by an 18-year-old who heats meat in a special
oven then tops it with stuff from a caulking gun. They are prepared to serve a million of these. I made four.
can’t wait to find another item like this. I’m not going to comb the
fast food landscape for one though. I would rather be inspired by the seasons
and the daily needs of real cooking, but when I am in immediate need of
food and stop at a corporate-chain restaurant that is impossible to
avoid – I will give credit where credit is do – and gladly create my
own version.
Eat well, cook often …
2 responses to “Crispy Chipotle Chicken Sandwich”
I love your visual presentation of the sandwich. I just stumbled upon this website and you got me hooked! I also like how you broke down the ingredients with images all in one section. It's less cluttering like other food blogs that include pictures after pictures of the "steps." Your site keeps it simple! 🙂
scrumptious… I need to have a bite this. You right in our world right now its really impossible to avoid fast food. Its fast food everywhere you turn, anyway the chipotle chicken looks really delicious. Thanks for sharing.