Receta "Fowl Thing" sandwich and homemade teriyaki sauce
In every college town, there is the quintessential “juke joint.” At my college that would be the world famous Eskimo Joe’s. I’m anxious to see if anyone but an alum of Oklahoma State would recognize this “world famous” status. (And, let me just say that I was a Joe’s patron before the fancy domes and such. I remember the beer garden.)
Is Joe’s more well-known for its T-shirts or food? My vote is for the food. Besides great burgers (“Little Joe’s”) and cheese fries, they are famous for the “Fowl Thing.” This wonderful sandwich features a grilled chicken breast topped with a grilled pineapple slice topped with Swiss cheese and then the usual toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles.)
My next door neighbor in college made her interpretation of these for me “back in the day.” I base my recipe off hers.
Last night I was at a loss of what to do for dinner. I found an entire bag of chicken tenders (totally non-local but convenient) so we decided to grill us up some “Fowl Things.”
An entire bag of grilled chicken tenders. I see lots of sandwiches in our future!
From the pantry, you will need pineapple rings (totally non-local unless you are in Hawaii) and Swiss cheese (totally non-local unless you are in the Alps) plus some toppings (that hopefully will be local).
Alas, the only thing local about this sandwich!
I whipped up some homemade teriyaki sauce to marinate the chicken and for a glaze.
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce with Crystallized Ginger
1/4 c.soy sauce
1 c.water
- 1/3 c. pineapple juice
- 1 T. crystallized ginger, minced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 3 T. brown sugar
- 1 T. honey
- 1 T. corn starch
Put this all in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a small sauce pan. Heat to boil whisking constantly. Simmer until slightly thick.
I marinated the chicken tenders for about 20 minutes. (Before marinating the chicken, I reserved about 1/4 cup of the teriyaki sauce to dip the pineapple rings in.) Then we fired up the grill and grilled them to perfection.
After rolls are toasted, layer on chicken and a pinapple ring dipped in the reserved marinade.
Add Swiss cheese and place under broiler to melt.
Add a slice of tomato and lettuce leaf basil. You can also add onions and pickles if you wish.
Fowl Things (my version)
2 Kaiser rolls, split
2 T. mayonnaise
6-8 grilled and marinated chicken tenders
2 pineapple rings
1/4 c. teriyaki sauce
2 slices Swiss Cheese
2 slices tomato
Lettuce leaf basil
To assemble these beauties, spread mayo on Kaiser rolls and toast in oven broiler.
Dip the pineapple rings in the teriyaki sauce. You may also glaze the chicken breasts with this same sauce if desired. Arrange 3-4 chicken tenders on bottom roll, top with a pineapple ring and a slice of Swiss cheese. Repeat for next sandwich. Place under broiler until cheese melts. Remove from oven and place tomato slice and basil on top of cheese. Top with the other halves of the Kaiser rolls.
Yields: 2 sandwiches.
The finished product.
I like to use mayonnaise to slather the rolls with before toasting under the broiler. I use this instead of butter or oil. This actually cuts down on the calories a bit because we aren’t slathering more on as a condiment. (I know, I know, leaving out the mayo would cut the calories even more! )
My intent is to use the rest of the grilled chicken in stir fries or salads for the rest of the week. Hopefully my surplus of grilled chicken will save me time and energy this week.
I would also love to hear about your college food memories. Please feel free to comment!