This post will take a look at all the chicken sandwiches offered at TGI Friday's and explore ways to make them at home. If you don't own a George Foreman grill and know the wonders of this machine I highly suggest that you purchase one because it will pay for itself in no time. The magic of indoor grill is that it cooks on both sides which makes it perfect for grilling boneless skinless chicken breast in half the time it would take on a stove top grill pan.
JACK DANIEL'S CHICKEN SANDWICHGrilled chicken basted in Jack Daniel's glaze and topped with bacon, mixed cheese, Cajun onion straws, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayo on a bun. You can also turn this into a BBQ Chicken Wrap by slicing the chicken and adding all the other ingredients into a flour tortilla. The sauce is king is this sandwich (
you'll have leftover sauce for another meal) and caramelized onions have been substituted for the onion straws. To make this one quick and easy you may opt to buy one of the prepared Jack Daniels sauces on the shelf at the supermarket.
Jack Daniels Grill Glaze
Makes 1 Cup
1 head of garlic
1 tablespon olive oil
2/3 cup water
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
3 teasoon lemon juice
3 tablespoon minced white onion
1 tablespoon Jack Daniels Whiskey
1 tablespoon crushed pineapple
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Roast the Garlic: Cut about 1/2 in. off the top of the garlic. Cut the roots so that the garlic will sit flat. Remove the papery skin for the garlic, but leave enough so that the cloves stay together. Put garlic into a small casserole dish or baking pan, drizzle olive oil over it and cover with a lid or foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Remove garlic and let it cool until you can handle it.
Make the Glaze: Combine water, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until mixture boils then reduce heat until mixture is just simmering. Squeeze the sides of the head of garlic until the pasty roasted garlic is squeezed out. Discard remaining skin and whisk to combine. Add remaining ingredients to the pan and stir. Let mixture simmer for about an hour or until sauce has reduced by about 1/2 and is thick and syrupy. Make sure it doesn't boil over.
Jack Daniel's Chicken SandwichTGI Friday's Copycat Recipe
Serves 2
2 (4 oz.) boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Jack Daniels Grill Glaze
4 slices of bacon
2 slices provolone cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon chipotle sauce
2 rolls
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Thinly slice the onions and add to the pan, stirring to coat. Cook the onions until caramelized. Stir in Cajun seasoning. Remove from pan and place in a foil-covered bowl to keep warm.In the same pan, fry the bacon until crisp. Pound the chicken breasts thin. Grill over medium heat, repeatedly basting with the Jack Daniels glaze. When cooked through, top with cheese. Mix together the mayonnaise and chipotle sauce. Top each roll with half the mayonnaise mixture, two slices of bacon, a chicken breast and half the caramelized onions.
ALL AMERICAN CHICKEN SANDWICH
Your choice of grilled or crispy chicken breast with melted American cheese, roasted green chili sauce, bacon, shredded lettuce, tomato and red onion on toasted garlic bread.
ULTIMATE SICILIAN CHICKEN SANDWICH
This layered sandwich is stacked high with a chicken breast, pepperoni, ham and melted Provolone served open faced with fresh lettuce, bruschetta mix, shaved Parmesan and a drizzle of house vinaigrette. We've provided a simple bruschetta recipe (
you'll have left overs to serve on toasted bread) and you can use bottled Italian dressing or
make your own vinaigrette. (
I would also marinate the chicken breast in some of the vinaigrette before grilling to compliment the flavors).
Bruschetta Mix
6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
In a large bowl, combine the Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
CAPTAIN MORGAN CHICKEN SANDWICH
Caribbean-seasoned chicken breast grilled and basted with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum sauce, served on a bun loaded with flavored seasoned sour cream, pineapple pico, fresh cilantro and avocado. Served with sweet potato fries and extra sauce for dipping. The star here is the BBQ sauce. The recipe below will make a big batch which you can use on just about any kind of meat. (I would suggest using a Caribbean Jerk spice blend to rub on the chicken before grilling).
Captain Morgan BBQ SauceTGI Friday Copycat Recipe
1 (20oz) bottle BBQ sauce (
your choice)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1/2 cup honey
1teaspoon kosher salt
1teaspoon garlic powder
1teaspoon onion powder
1teaspoon cumin
1teaspoon cinnamon
1teaspoon black pepper
1teaspoon chili or cayenne pepper
In a 3-5 quart sauce pan. Pour in bottle of sauce & honey--mix with whisk. In a small bowl combine all dry ingredients, then incorporate into sauce pan with care. Add the Captain Morgan last and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid slightly off to allow steam to escape. This allows the alcohol to cook out of the sauce and you are left with a sweet sauce with a zing. You can adjust the ingredients to your taste, example: more brown sugar for a thicker, sweeter sauce or more peppers for a hotter sauce. Use it on the grill with caution as the sugar will burn quickly. If you do use on the grill add to meats that are in their last 10 minutes of cooking.
Pineapple Pico de GalloTGI Friday's Copycat Recipe
1/2 cup pineapple, finely chopped (
canned or fresh)
2 tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
2 tablespoons jalapeno, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.
HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN SANDWICH
A grilled chicken breast topped with rich melted Swiss cheese, fresh lettuce, sliced tomato and crisp bacon on a toasted ciabatta with a sweet honey mustard spread.
CHICKEN FINGER BLT
Crispy, hand-battered Cajun chicken tenders covered with melted Pepper Jack cheese. Served on toasted ciabatta bread with crisp bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.
CAJUN CHICKEN SANDWICH
Blackened chicken breast sautéed in spicy Cajun seasonings. Served on toasted ciabatta bread with melted Colby cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise.
BUFFALO CHICKEN SANDWICH
A grilled or crispy chicken breast is basted with spicy Buffalo sauce, then served with shredded lettuce and tomato on toasted ciabatta bread. Served with a side of bleu cheese dressing, spicy buffalo sauce and crispy fries.
CHICKEN CAESAR SANDWICH
Grilled chicken breast basted with Caesar dressing and topped with melted Swiss cheese. Served on a toasted bun, shredded romaine and Caesar dressing on the side.
