As “blogger of the month” for Pip & Nut, I thought I’d come up with a few recipes using its creamy peanut butter. Here’s my first go: a peanut butter and pickle chicken melt with sriracha Dijon dip. Sound like a mouthful? That’s the idea! But if the prospect of blending peanut butter, pickle, cheese, chicken, hot sauce, mustard, and honey into one bite seems a little odd or even off putting, I’d suggest you at least try this mighty ensemble – you might be surprised how yummy (and not really all the unusual) it tastes. And if you reckon such a sandwich may well indeed do the trick to appease mega-flavour craving taste buds, you could find it’s actually even better than you imagine.
It’s worth pointing out that the peanut butter I use for the recipe is all natural, not too salty and has no added sweeteners or preservatives. So, results could vary if you use other brands. Also, I like to pickle brine my chicken before cooking it for maximum flavor.
PEANUT BUTTER AND PICKLE CHICKEN MELT WITH SRIRACHA DIJON DIP
Yum
Ingredients for the Melt (makes one sandwich)
• Butter to taste;
• A couple of pinches of salt;
• Mature Cheddar to taste;
• Thinly sliced sweet and sour pickled gherkins to taste;
• Creamy peanut butter to taste (highly recommend using Pip & Nut);
• Chicken fillet, already cooked and preferably still warm (note: I like to pickle brine mine overnight);
• 2 slices of bread (I recommend white bloomer or sourdough for this recipe).
Ingredients for the Sriracha Dijon Dip
• Dijon to taste;
• Sriracha to taste (I reckon Huy Fong brand is the best);
• Honey to taste.
Method for the Melt
• Place a frying pan on medium-low heat, add a pat of butter and let it melt;
• Add a pinch of salt to the butter;
• Place one slice of bread in the pan;
• Top with a layer Cheddar;
• Once the cheese starts to melt, top with the chicken and then the pickles;
• Top with another layer of Cheddar;
• Spread a generous scoop of peanut butter evenly across one side of another piece of bread and add (peanut butter side down) to the sandwich;
• Press the sandwich firmly together at least once;
• When the bottom piece of bread is lightly browned, take the sandwich off the grill long enough to add a small pat of butter to the pan and have it melt;
• Add a pinch of salt to the butter;
• Flip the sandwich and place it back in the pan;
• Press the sandwich firmly together;
• Cook until the second layer of cheese is melted and outside of the bottom slice of bread is lightly browned.
Method for the Dip
This is so easy to do! Mix equal parts of Dijon, sriiracha and honey. One heaping tablespoon each per sandwich is a good starting point. It’s a smart idea to have the dip already made or to prepare it while cooking the sandwich so you can have it ready to go while the sandwich is hot and cheese still warm and gooey.
Serve
Serve halved with the dip on the side. Consider having a salad with it as well.
About Pip & Nut
New to the shelf Pip & Nut natural food brand offers a range of three nutty and nutritious spreads available in 250g jars and 30g squeeze packs at Selfridges and other fine retailers:
• Peanut Butter, a naturally nutritious smooth nut butter, made from just-roasted peanuts and spiked with a sprinkling of sea salt;
• Almond Butter, the finest Californian almonds, blended to a silky smooth texture, enhanced with a dash of sea salt;
• Almond & Coconut Butter, made from roasted almonds and toasted coconut, sweetened slightly with all-natural agave syrup and spiked with a sprinkling of sea salt, an indulgent treat that’s delicious spooned straight from the jar.
Find out more at pipandnut.com.
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