I Swear, This Does Not Make Me Texan

I made barbecue, Gentle Reader. That does not make me Texan. And yes, while I realize that BBQ is not strictly a Texas thing, you'd think some Texans invented it, patented and hold all claim to it by the way some of them swagger and brag about their BBQ prowess both in various media outlets and in real life.

Honey-Chipotle Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches1/2 C water
1 t ground cumin
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 7-oz. can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 T canola oil
1 T minced garlic
1 t ground cumin
1/2 C canned tomato puree
1/4 C cider vinegar
3 T honey
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t salt
4 1.5-oz. sandwich rolls
2 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
4 red onion slices, 1/8" thick

1. Combine the water, 1 teaspoon cumin, four sliced garlic cloves and chicken in in a large saucepan.
   
2. Cover, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10 min. or until chicken is done.
   
3. Drain, place chicken on a cutting board, cut the chicken across the grain into thin slices and keep warm.
   
4. Remove 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce from can and set aside.
   
5. Remove two chipotle chiles from the can, finely chop and set aside. (Reserve remaining chiles and adobo sauce for another time.)
   
6. Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
   
7. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and sauté 3 min. or until it's just beginning to brown.
   
8. Add 1 teaspoon cumin and sauté 1 min.
   
9. Stir in the tomato puree and cook 4 min. or until the mixture thickens to a pastelike consistency, stirring constantly.
   
10. Stir in the adobo sauce, chopped chipotle chiles, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
    
11. Add the sliced chicken to the sauce and simmer 3 min. or until thoroughly heated.
    
12. Preheat the broiler.
    
13. Split the rolls in half, then arrange them in a single layer, cut sides up, on a baking sheet.
    
14. Broil the bun halves 1 min. or until lightly toasted.
    
15. Remove the top halves of the rolls from the baking sheet.
    
16. Divide the chicken mixture evenly among the bottom bun halves, then top the chicken evenly with cheese.
    
17. Broil the chicken-topped rolls 2 min. or until the cheese melts, then remove from the broiler.
    
18. Top the melted cheese with onions, then place the bun tops to complete the sandwiches. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Nutritional Info
Calories: 424
Fat: 11.8 g
Sat fat: 3.9 g
Protein: 34.5 g
Carbs: 45.1 g
Fiber: 2.6 g
Cholesterol: 78 mg
Sodium: 765 mg

The Faudie's Futzings
I was honestly nervous about making this recipe, Gentle Reader, because I was afraid I was going to screw it up. I don't have the best track record for getting sauces to thicken, and I knew a runny soup instead of a sauce was going to screw up the completed meal.

Because I was scared of screwing up, I didn't futz much with this recipe. To have fewer dishes to clean afterwards, I cooked the chicken in the same skillet I used for making the barbecue sauce. I also omitted steps 12 through 18 because the husband didn't want cheese on his sandwich and wasn't terribly wanting a toasted bun, and I wasn't sure if I was going to make my portion into a sandwich or not.

Speaking of the buns, we scored some on the Wally World day-old bread rack that were low in fat, high in protein (7 g per bun, I think), whole-grain jobbers with sesame seeds that did not contain high fructose corn syrup. Have you noticed, Gentle Reader, how so many wheat bread products contain high fructose corn syrup--as one of the top four or five ingredients? I get that most consumers are used to the "wheat" sandwich bread that's brownified and made sweeter with brown sugar or some other ingredient, such as high fructose corn syrup, because they're used to the texture and flavor of nutrient-free bleached white sandwich bread. But do we have to maintain that tradition of adding so damn much unhealthy sugar to all bread?

Anywho, the reason I mention our choice of bread is that it'll affect the nutritional value of the recipe.

For all my worry and anxiety, the finished dish was fabulous and had quite a kick that worked perfectly with the sweetness brought by the honey. When I chopped up the two chipotle chiles, I included everything in 'em, seeds and, if they hadn't been roasted away, the ribs, so a bit of capsaicin was included, I'd imagine. On a hot day, the firey BBQ was the perfect excuse to chug a lot of water. If you plan to make this recipe, Gentle Reader, and you're not into firey heat or you don't want to chug water, then consider either using only one chile or making sure the chiles' outer flesh is the only part that goes into the BBQ sauce. I'm not sure if that's possible when you're using canned chipotles in adobo sauce, but you're welcome to try!

Sorry, I couldn't resist throwing in a (bastardized) line from the redneck classic "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Sure, it's not about Texas, but I'm sure a lot of BBQ-lovin' Texans love that song. If you'll recall, Gentle Reader, when Dominique Moceanu bounced around in Atlanta in '96, she did it to that song, and Dominique's a Texan.