Chicken Cheese Steak

I made this sandwich after I reviewed a local eatery in Maplewood- Maplewood Deli and Grille. My friend and I had a quick meal including a chicken cheese steak sandwich and an order of fries. I love eating fries but never end up ordering them- too much fat. These fries were incredible with some kind of a flour coating- oh my, talk about carb heaven!

The sandwich was delicious as well. One of the best things about it were the crispy potatoes topping the chicken and the green peppers.

As I thought of replicating this sandwich, I knew I would make it healthier, but how? I used white meat chicken pieces for the filling and paired fresh green peppers and onions for the sandwich.  To replicate the potatoes I diced them up small and roasted them in a very hot oven with a bit of olive oil. You can also cook them on the stove in a skillet- as shown below. It resulted in really crispy potatoes- yum!

The sandwich was delicious- a whole meal. It had the meat, veggies and potatoes- what more do you want? It was fresh tasting and crispy and crunchy. I served it for dinner with beer for my husband and wine for me. That’s right, I had a glass of wine with the sandwich- I like my wine and it was delicious!

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Drizzle the olive oil onto the chicken breasts and place them on a lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle salt, paprika and garlic powder. Bake in oven about 8 minutes. The chicken doesn’t have to be fully cooked since it will be cooked with the onions and peppers later. Keep aside.

• 1 large green pepper, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté on medium heat 5 to 6 minutes. Add the green onion, salt and oregano. Saute on medium heat for another 5 minutes or till the peppers are soft yet crunchy. Slice the chicken and add to the pepper mixture. Mix well and sauté for 2-3 minutes, cooking the chicken fully if it needs to. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if needed.

• 3 to 4 medium yellow potatoes, cut into a ½ inch dice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt

Heat a non-stick frying pan and add the olive oil. Add the diced potatoes and cook on a high heat till all sides are golden brown, for about 4 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook till the potatoes are cooked through. Add salt and keep warm.

• 6 small rolls or 4 medium rolls
• Drizzle of olive oil for the rolls
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ to ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice the rolls in half and drizzle olive oil. Toast in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Take out and rub the garlic clove on both sides. Divide the chicken mixture onto the rolls. Top with the shredded cheese and return to the oven for about a minute or till the cheese has melted well. Take out and top with the crispy potatoes.