Chicken-and-Brie Sandwich with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

 

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up. This blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen.This week's host is Zorra from Kochtopf- be sure to pop by to see what other bloggers have come up with.

Over the Christmas 'madness' I convinced myself that there would be wine and cheese extravaganzas galore so when I made my dash through Costco I bought 2 huge wheels of Brie. Of course. I never used them because I had purchased close to 12 pounds of various cheeses in my various uncontrolled shopping sprees.

I don't associate Brie with low-fat so now that I'm trying to be careful with what I eat I thought I'd have to throw them out. Happily I asked a friend who convinced me that it was possible to eat Brie cheese and not fall off of the wagon. This recipe has only 440 calories and 12.3 g of fat. Coupled with a bowl of soup or a piece of fruit it is a filling dinner.

I'll admit that it is one of the more complex sandwiches that I have made but the flavour combinations are incredible! A good balsamic vinegar makes all the difference in the roasted tomatoes, whose heat will immediately melt the soft Brie. There's no need to cut the rind off the Brie, since it's edible.

Chicken-and-Brie Sandwich with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (16-ounce) loaf French bread, cut in half horizontally
3 ounces Brie cheese, sliced
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups fresh spinach

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes; cook 4 minutes, stirring once. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons vinegar. Sprinkle tomatoes with thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Wrap handle of pan with foil; bake at 300° for 15 minutes. Keep warm.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly over top half of bread loaf. Spoon tomatoes evenly over bottom half of loaf. Arrange Brie over tomatoes; top with chicken. Combine 2 teaspoons oil, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add spinach, tossing gently to coat. Top chicken with spinach mixture; replace top half of bread. Cut loaf into 6 pieces.

Yield:

6 servings

CALORIES 440 (25% from fat); FAT 12.3g (sat 4.2g,mono 4.9g,poly 1.9g); PROTEIN 34.3g; CHOLESTEROL 78mg; CALCIUM 119mg; SODIUM 826mg; FIBER 3.9g; IRON 3.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.7g

Cooking Light, JUNE 2001

Comments

[softdrink]

That looks pretty tasty. There's a local restaurant (Novo in San Luis Obispo) that has a chicken, brie, and apple sandwich that I love.

[Jerry]

Jill that sounds like a great combination too. Where were you with your knowledge when I was looking for information about San Luis Obispo?

[Jane]

Jerry, if you want a new job and sunshine, can I hire you as my personal chef? Benefits: swim in December, volley ball on the beach in January, sandals to work, no shovels in the garage. What more could you ask for?

[Jerry]

Jane - considering that it has been - 20 degrees all week and is now snowing AGAIN it wouldn't take much to get me on the plane! LOL

[Anne]

Yum, I have saved the recipe to make for my sister one day soon. She loves a great sandwich. This will surely make her mouth water with anticipation!

[Jerry]

Gee Anne - I still have another entire round of brie I could send your way! What was I thinking buying so much bloody brie? I know, I wasn't thinking at all.

[zorra]

I love Brie, I will make this Sandwich soon, with a homemade Baguette! Thank you for the inspiration.

[Jerry]

Wow zorra - a homemade baguette. That would make this sandwich just perfect!

[Kalyn]

I agree, Brie is just delicious. Your sandwich sounds fabulous!

[Jerry]

Thanks Kalyn. Now I have to come up with a way to use the other wheel . . . any suggestions?