#HotSummerEats Slow Cooker Roasted Tomato Caprese Chicken Sandwiches

Welcome to Day 5 of the #HotSummerEats blogging event! We are going strong till Monday and expect that there are many delicious recipes coming your way! 

I am a big fan of my slow cooker during the summer because it frees up a lot of time I spend cooking, and that gives my family more time to play. Using the slow cooker also helps to keep the house cool by keeping the oven and stop top off. The recipe I am posting toasts the sandwiches, but it is certainly a step that can be skipped if it is too hot too cook! 

This recipe uses two products from our generous sponsors: Gourmet Garden and Out of the Weeds

Gourmet Garden was kind enough to send participants 17 different herb products (stir-in pastes and lightly dried) for this challenge.  I was lucky enough to work Gourmet Garden's product in two previous blog challenges and was thrilled to have a chance to work with the product again. They are so generous and their products are amazing! Gourmet Garden sent bloggers 12 stir-in pastes and 5 lightly dried herbs. I love love the lightly dried herbs because they last 4 weeks after they are opened and keep a great fresh flavor. Check them out of FacebookTwitter and Instagram

Out of the Weeds send a bottle of Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette and I was very excited to try the product because I love all things tomato. Robin is the owner of a restaurant and the creator of Out of the Weeds products. There are three dressings in her line, Roasted Tomato, Roasted Beet and Carrot Ginger. All sound amazing and I was happy that she was willing to share her product with me. The tomato flavors are so rich and wonderful. The vinaigrette is also very versatile as a marinade- I think going Thai style with coconut milk and red curry would be amazing! Check out Out of the Weeds on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

I opted to maximize the tomato flavors by using the vinaigrette in the slow cooker with a little basil. I stirred in a bit of Parmesan cheese at the end for a little extra salt and richness. I used fresh mozzarella and basil to emphasize the well know caprese flavors, and it was a perfect accompaniment to the sandwich. Like I said before, I opted to toast the sandwich but it would be delicious un-toasted as well.  Ron was out of town when I made these, but Kellen and I gobbled them up like there was no tomorrow! 

I can't wait to share more delicious recipes and great products from our sponsors this week (both products mentioned above are in the prize pack)! Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter below (or click here to learn more about the prize pack!) and check out my fellow blogger's delicious recipes! 


Ingredients

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 bottle Out of the Weeds Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette
1 Tbl Gourmet Garden Basil Stir-in Paste
2 Tbl grated Parmesan cheese
4-6 Bolillo rolls
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped


Instructions

Place chicken breasts in to the slow cooker, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk together dressing and basil paste. Pour over the chicken. Set slow cooker to low and cook 6-7 hours. 

Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred. Return to slow cooker and stir in the grated cheese. Cook an additional 15 minutes. 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the rolls in half and arrange on a baking sheet. Evenly divide the fresh basil on the sandwich halves. Place two slices of mozzarella on one half of each sandwich. On the opposite half, place chicken onto the bread. 

Toast the sandwich in the oven till the cheese is melted and bread toasted. Remove from oven, join two sides together and cut in half. Serve immediately. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Disclaimer - Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds. Pirate Jonny's, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Cheffor providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation.All opinions are my own.

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