Chicken on Ciabatta with Roasted Tomato Sauce

My roommate from college is incredible.  I feel pretty lucky that we are still close.  One thing to be aware of though is that if you know her you have an increased chance of becoming a reality star.  She has known two contestants on Survivor and most recently one of the competitors on The Next Food Network Star.  I am a huge fan of the Food Network but do not typically watch this particular program.  Once I heard that she knew Jeff Mauro I decided to check it out.  I was hooked pretty quick.  This group of contestants were  great chefs, funny, and have great vocabulary to describe food.  I really enjoyed watching every episode of the show.  I was totally cheering for Jeff!  I loved his point of view and that he always seemed himself.  His food also seemed pretty amazing!  So, after enjoying the season of The Next Food Network Star and I am looking forward to many seasons of The Sandwich King!

With all this in mind I was inspired to make a sandwich, Chicken on Ciabatta with Roasted Tomato Sauce.  I will say that my husband and I enjoyed every bite.  We also both admitted that gluttonously we wished we could have another.

I think that the key element to this sandwich is using great ingredients.  My husband cooked the chicken on the grilled perfectly.  The tomatoes came from our local farmer's market and were so sweet.  The bread was crusty on the outside and soft inside.  Overall, great ingredients pulled together with some common flavor notes equals a darn good sandwich!  Hope you like it.

Chicken on Ciabatta with Roasted Tomato Sauce

2 skinless, chicken breasts

1/2 cup of red wine vinaigrette (i like this recipe)

1 loaf of ciabatta, sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 cup of Fontina cheese, grated

2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of dried thyme leaves

1 TBS of olive oil

2 TBS of balsamic vinegar

4-5 leaves of crisp red leaf lettuce

In a resealable bag, combine the chicken breasts and red wine vinaigrette then gently massage.  Let this sit for about 1/2 hour.  Preheat your grill to high heat.  Then place the chicken breasts on one side of the grill and turn the burners on that side off but keep the other side on high.  Cook with the cover down for 8-10 minutes.  Then place the chicken on the other side of the grill and turn that burner off.  Then turn the burners on the other side of the grill back on to high.  Cover and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked.  Remove from the grill and cover with foil for at least 5 minutes.  Slice into thin pieces on the diagonal.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400degrees.  On a foil lined sheet pan, toss the tomato halves in the olive oil, salt, and thyme.  Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the tomatoes are very soft.  Be sure to stir the tomatoes occasionally.  

Place the loaf of ciabatta bread with the inside up on a sheet pan.  Evenly sprinkle the fontina over the inside of the loaf.  Bake in the oven for 4-5 minutes until crisp and the cheese melts.  Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the fontina, try to make it as even as possible.  Then spread the roasted tomato sauce over the bottom layer of the ciabatta loaf.  Add the slices of chicken and red lettuce.  Slice in half and share with someone you love.  Enjoy!