Has anyone noticed how popular food trucks have become?  You can find them at sporting events, outside of office buildings and lined up at Universities.  You will find them in the city as well in  Suburban areas.  Not only are they popping up in more places, they are making some incredible meals out of those food trucks.  I have to admit, I was tempted to buy a food truck after seeing how popular they are.  My husband and I visited some food trucks at a local University recently.  It was amazing to see them all lined up down the street and the number of students, faculty and local residents that were ordering breakfast and lunch.   There were so many options; there was Greek cuisine with chicken kabobs, hummus and even Tzatziki.  There was also Italian cuisine with pizza, sandwiches, salads and so much more.  We also found a food truck that made Mexican cuisine, serving tacos and burritos.  The best part, your food was made to order.  You may have waited a few extra minutes for them to prepare & cook it but that didn’t matter when you tasted how fresh and flavorful the meal was.

With their increasing popularity and quality of food, food trucks are also being highlighted more on television shows.  I am truly amazed at all variety of cuisines being served out of food trucks, such as BBQ, Korean, Vegan, soup and even food trucks that do only desserts or only grilled cheese sandwiches.   Many food trucks are fun to look at with their vibrant colors and graphics, helping them stand out from their competition.

Chicken seems to be a popular choice on many of the food trucks.  You can find it on menus with the Greek truck, Italian, Mexican and many more food trucks.  One menu item that really stood out to my husband and I was a chicken sandwich that was fried, dipped into a very spicy sauce and then made into a sandwich.  I decided to recreate the sandwich at home, putting my own twist on it.  I have a couple of picky eaters (those would be my 2 kids), my husband (who will eat just about anything) and myself to please.  That might seem like a tall order for most.  I was up for the challenge!  I created a chicken sandwich using boneless, chicken thighs.  I fried them until they are nice and crispy and finished them off in the oven.  The chicken was slathered in a sauce for a touch of sweetness and a hint of heat.  To build our sandwich, we paired it with Horseradish Cheddar Cheese then topped it off with my homemade pickled cucumbers & purple onions.  The combination of ingredients hit most of the basic tastes.  We had a creamy saltiness from the cheese and a sweetness & heat from the sauce.   The pickling juice with the cucumbers & onions weaves just the right amount of a tangy saltiness throughout every bite.

I was able to create a sandwich to please even my pickiest of eaters.  My kids loved the sweetness and my husband loved the combination of heat with the acidity & saltiness.

Honey Sriracha Chicken Sandwich

Makes approx. 6 Sandwiches

Ingredients

6, Boneless Chicken Thighs

S&P

1 1/2 Cups, All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon, Smoked Paprika

1 Teaspoon, Garlic Salt

1 Teaspoon, Onion Powder

1/2 Teaspoon, Chili Powder

Olive Oil, enough to coat pan

1/4 Cup, Honey

1/4 Cup, Sriracha Sauce

1/4 Cup, BBQ Sauce

6, Rolls *any kind you like

6 Slices. Horseradish Cheddar Cheese **Optional

Pickled Cucumbers & Onions *See link below for recipe

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.  Place a baking sheet with cooling rack on it into the oven.

Season each side of the chicken thighs with S&P.  Set aside.

Place the flour in a bowl or onto a large plate.  Season the flour with the Paprika. Garlic Salt. Onion Powder. Chili Powder. S&P and mix well.   Dredge the chicken in the flour and coat all sides really well.  Start a new plate with the floured chicken.  Repeat until all pieces are coated with the flour mixture.

Heat a large, cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat.  Once the pan is hot, add Olive Oil.  Add enough oil to completely cover the bottom of the pan and until it starts to come up the sides a little bit.  Once the oil is hot, start to add the chicken.  Add just enough chicken in the pan, don’t overcrowd them.  You don’t want the chicken to be touching.  Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until nice and golden brown.

Transfer the chicken to the oven.  Continue frying the chicken and adding them to the oven until all pieces are cooked.  The chicken should reach an internal temp of 165 Degrees.  Once they are fully cooked remove them from the oven.

Make the sauce:  In a mixing bowl, add the honey, Sriracha Sauce and BBQ Sauce and whisk together.  Start dipping each piece of chicken into the sauce, turning them until they are completely coated on all sides.  Place the chicken back onto the baking sheet with cooling rack until all pieces are coated with the sauce.

Honey Sriracha Chicken

Build the sandwich:  Place a piece of cheese on each roll.  Add the chicken then top off with the pickled cucumbers and onions.

Mangia! Enjoy!

To make the picked cucumbers click here for the recipe:  Pickled Cucumbers