Add this to your list of things to do with leftover roasted chicken. It also helps to have a tad of arugula, a few cheeses that are almost gone, and a lone, ripe tomato. Stack all of these things between some whole wheat bread, add a little butter, a swirl of olive oil, and you have a five-star grilled cheese made from kitchen scraps.
I hate throwing things out, so when I clean out the fridge, I always try to make use of all the odds and ends that are hanging on for dear life. I actually look forward to this time of the month, because I always end up finding inventive flavor combinations I wouldn’t have tried otherwise.
For this grilled cheese – and all others actually – cook it slowly. The biggest mistake I see people committing when cooking this American staple is rushing it over high heat. If it gets too hot, the bread will burn, and the cheese will still be hard – especially if you overstuff it, of which I am definitely guilty. For all of my grilled cheeses, I add a little butter inside the sandwich, swirl some olive oil in the pan, cover it and cook on low for at least 15 minutes. Try it on your scrap night – it never fails!
Ingredients for Leftover Grilled Cheese
The beauty of the grilled cheese is that there are endless possibilities – here’s what I put in mine, but be creative!
Leftover roasted chicken breast – shredded
Small handful of arugula
1 Tomato, sliced thickly
1/4 cup Asiago cheese, shredded
2 tablesppons Dry Jack Cheese, shredded (If you have never tried Dry Jack, get it - now!)
2 slices Whole Wheat bread
About 1/2 tablespoon of butter
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Side dish:
Frozen Corn, thawed
1 Onion, sliced thin
First – Assemble the Sandwich
When
putting together your grilled cheese, no matter what ingredients you
use, be sure to alternate your cheeses with the other ingredients.
For this sandwich, here’s the order I used: bread, cheese, a tad of
butter, chicken, arugula, tomato, another tad of butter, cheese, bread.
Next – Cook the sandwich
Heat up a cast iron skillet. Add 1
tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add the sandwich, turn the heat to
low, cover and cook for about 7 minutes. Add a little more olive oil,
flip, and cook for an additional 7 minutes. If the bread isn’t as dark
as you like, continue cooking, but don’t turn up the heat.
Meanwhile, the Corn:
While the grilled cheese is cooking, heat
up a second skillet over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
When hot, add the sliced onions, and stir so they don’t brown. Cook for
about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the corn, salt and pepper, and
continue to cook for an additional 7 minutes.
Finally – Eat:
Spoon the corn and onions into a plate, and place
the grilled cheese on top, cut on the diagonal. Serve with salsa, or
your favorite hot sauce.
