Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese sandwich? Hot, melted cheese between soft, buttery slices of bread. YUM.
Grilled cheese sandwiches are one of my favorite foods to experiment with and try new combinations. Throw in leftover veggies, chopped spinach, bacon slices, leftover chicken, and any variety of cheeses.
The options are endless!
Like many of my recipes, this combination was inspired by what we hand on hand in our kitchen. We loved this particular sandwich, though, so I’m sure we will make sure it happens again some time soon!
The sandwich didn’t take long to come together once all the ingredients were assembled. The longest part is caramelizing the onions. To get a good, sweet caramelized onion, you really need to let it brown on medium-low in some butter for about twenty minutes. But it’s a process that you can start and then take care of something else while they cook. The onions don’t need to be baby-sat, just stirred a few times.
This is also another time when I am thankful for keeping a roast chicken in the refrigerator and ready to use!
Grilled Cheese with Garlic Swiss Chard, Caramelized Onion and Roasted Chicken
Ingredient List
- 4 slices whole wheat bread
- 4 Tbsp butter, divided
- 1 small onion, sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large Swiss Chard leaves
- 1 C mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 C parmesan cheese
- 1/2 C sliced roasted chicken
Method
1. Melt 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and stir to coat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes or until the onions are soft and brown, stirring a few times. Remove onions to a small dish and set aside.
2. Melt 1/2 Tbsp of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Lay a Swiss Chard leaf in the skillet on top of the garlic and cook for about a minute on each side. The Swiss Chard should look shiny and slightly wilted. Repeat for second Swiss Chard leaf. Remove from skillet and set aside. Wipe skillet clean.
3. Assemble the sandwiches. Set out two slices of bread. On top of each slice, add the layers in this order: mozzarella cheese, Swiss chard leaf, caramelized onions, chicken slices, and Parmesan cheese. Top with remaining bread slices.
4. Melt 1/2 Tbsp of butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Place the sandwiches in the skillet and cook until toasted, about 3-4 minutes. Press down on the top of each sandwich slightly with a spatula as they cook. Lift up each sandwich and add remaining 1/2 Tbsp of butter. Flip each sandwich over and toast on the other side. (Note: adding the butter to the pan is how I make grilled cheese, but you can just as easily butter the outside of the bread slices before toasting them).
5. Remove, slice and enjoy!
[…] slices warm with butter (you’ve earned it), and then save the rest for toast with jam, a fancy grilled cheese, to take on a picnic, or for whatever else you like whipping up in your […]