Giant Open Face Chicken Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
1-1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into strips
1 green pepper - cut into 1/2" slices
1 sweet red pepper - cut into 1/2" slices
1 yellow sweet onion - cut into 1/2" slices
2 cloves of garlic - chopped
1 (1 lb) loaf of Italian bread - any soft bread will work as long as you can make it into a boat
6 slices of Provolone cheese
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained (not shown)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil (not shown)
1 tsp (eyeball it) Worcestershire sauce (not shown)
salt and pepper (not shown)
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| Not shown: canned mushrooms, salt and pepper, Olive oil, and Worcestershire Sauce |
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Slice a v-shape into the bread from the top. Remove the top and hollow-out the bread to make a thin shell - think canoe shaped. I removed approx. half of my 16oz loaf. You can keep the top slice and the extra bread for another use, if you like.
Pour the oil in a large pan and heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, salt and pepper the chicken pieces. When the oil is hot, place chicken in the pan; cooking it in batches if necessary - don't over-crowd it . Brown the chicken 4 to 5 minutes per side. It doesn't have to be totally cooked at this point because you will continue cooking it with the pepper mixture shortly.
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| Don't over-crowd the pan - it will steam the chicken instead of browning it. |
Meanwhile lay 3 slices of cheese inside the bread boat, overlapping only if necessary and bake in oven on a sheet pan (that is covered with foil for easy cleanup) for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
After all of your batches of chicken are browned, remove the last batch of chicken from pan and keep warm. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic to the pan. Salt and pepper the pepper/onion mixture to taste and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir to combine. Add the chicken back to the pan and add the worcestershire sauce, stirring frequently for 5-7 minutes - until chicken is cooked thoroughly and the veggies are tender-crisp or to your taste.
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| Who needs bread? I could it eat it right outta the pan. |
Pour the chicken veggie mixture into the bread boat and top with the 3 remaining slices of Provolone.
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| Before the final 3 slices of cheese were added. |
Bake in pre-heated oven until cheese is melted and slightly toasted (4-6 minutes). Let it cool 3-5 minutes, then slice and enjoy. Make sure to grab some utensils and napkins, because its gonna be messy!
We were so hungry, I forgot to take a picture of the final product out of the oven. =)
