Our Lady of the Grilled Chicken Sandwich

You know when someone uses a name like "Guadalupe Mountain" on a Mexican product, that it has to be awesome. People south of the border don't throw around such a holy name to describe ordinary foodstuffs like tortillas or chiles in adobo sauce. No, this was a righteous product, capable of producing fajitas and tacos as God had intended.

I found myself pondering such matters in the aisle of my local supermarket this weekend. The occasion was the first day of real honest-to-God summertime weather in Atlanta, and I wasn't going to squander it eating my usual ham sandwich and banana lunch. No, I was going to prepare a feast fit for some co-workers. And on the menu I envisioned a grilled chicken sandwich, maybe with some beans and rice on the side. Faced with a lack of research time, I decided to skip the billions of marinade and sauce recipes and to just grab a bottle of something at the market.

There are a galaxy of sauces and marinades on the shelves at the megamart. Usually, I just walk right past the million or so bottles of McSauce (bbq, honey bbq, honey mustard, honey mustard bbq...) and look for the lonely straggler, far away from home and tucked meekly into the corner. I found what I was looking for in World Harbor's Guadalupe Mountain Fajita Sauce. This was it! I mean, what kind of self-respecting grillmeister would believe the lies lies lies that meat can be marinated in 15 minutes? Or that people in Kansas City would know anything about the subtle savory-sweet qualities that make grilled chicken sing?

No, this was a job for something authentic. Something special. Something bottled in Maine.

Ok, so I didn't actually look at the place of origin when I bought it. Oh well, yet another company leveraging God's word to sell fajita sauce. Still, it's a darn good product. It successfully pulled double duty as an overnight marinade and as a basting sauce during grilling. It sure did a number on a bunch of boneless skinless breasts, and everyone commented on its near-perfect flavors for the dish.

I splurged for some quality buns, added some shredded Mexican cheese blend, and prepped a light slaw to top the sandwich. Add some bean salad and a bit of Spanish rice (shamefully obtained from a box) on the side, and you've got a lunch that that's truly holy. Behold, the Guadalupe Chicken Sandwich!

OLGCS Mexican Slaw

1/4 head Green Cabbage, chopped finely
1/2 cup White Onion, diced
2 handfulls Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Lime Juice
1/2 teaspoon Lime Zest

Combine ingredients in a bowl. Enjoy on sandwiches, tacos, etc.

4 points for the entire batch (which is a lot of topping).

Update 3/18 - This recipe has been corrected for points value.