CHICKENS AND PICKLES

Oh, Monday. How I dread you so.

So it was another Monday and the beginning of another boring week. I shouldn't be so hard on the week. I have a nice job and wonderful life. I'm just bored. But you know what's not boring? This dinner!

I can't lie ... Jennifer from Last Night's Dinner totally inspired this one. My meal ended up being nothing like hers, but I have to be forthcoming about my inspirations, right? So her pulled duck sandwiches were the inspiration, but like I said, I ended up somewhere totally different.

I started with some nice, fluffy barbecue sandwiches:
- chicken breast (braised in tomato sauce, hoisin and water)
- pita bread
- pickles
- cucumber and onion salad (cucumber, red onion, white vinegar, salt and black pepper)
- extra hoisin

And I served the whole thing with the remaining cucumber and onion salad.

I thought this was going to be good, but I had no idea it was going to be great. When I reduced that braising liquid and mixed it all up with the shredded chicken, I didn't know I was going to get the intense flavor I managed to achieve. And I felt like the cucumbers and onions with their amazing vinegar bite were going to make the chicken taste that much better. Turns out I was right.

I probably didn't need the pickles, but other than that one misstep, this was one of the best dinners I've made in a minute.