Fiesta Chicken Bread

Justin was browsing through the Chive one day last month and found this food post. When we saw number 20, we decided we had to know A) what exactly it was, B) how to make it, and C) how awesome it would taste. Analyzing the photo, I decided that it obviously included bread of some sort, bacon, cheese, and what I thought might be some sort of ranch dressing. I googled bread bacon cheese ranch, and voila, I found myself at the recipe for Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls on Plain Chicken.

We have yet to make this the original way, though it still looks and sounds as amazing as we first thought. We decided to switch it up a bit and make a Mexican-inspired version. We used shredded cheese, though I think that cheese slices, as the original recipe calls for, would probably be easier. They would let you get the cheese further down into the bread than the shredded cheese seemed to allow. Most of our cheese ended up right at the top, but it was still really tasty. We're looking forward to trying other variations soon, especially the cinnamon roll version.


Ingredients

1/2 lb chicken breasts
1 sourdough boule
1/2 c butter, melted
1 tbsp fiesta ranch seasoning mix*
4-6 oz shredded or sliced cheddar cheese

*If you can't find this, substitute it with 1/2 tbsp ranch seasoning mix and 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning.


Directions

Cut the chicken into tiny chunks, about 1/2" each. Cook over medium heat until no longer pink, and remove from heat. Using a sharp, serrated knife, cut sourdough boule in criss-cross pattern, cutting almost to the bottom but not through it. Mix melted butter and fiesta ranch together and drizzle over the bread. Spread chicken chunks through cuts in bread. Repeat with cheese. Wrap loaf in aluminum foil and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.


Servings: 4


Recipe adapted from Plain Chicken.