My lovely friends, it has been a WEEK.

Work is ramping way up. The kids are getting ready to go back to school. Zander is preparing for his check ride. And, because apparently we needed one more little character-building exercise around here, the air conditioning is still broken.

Needless to say, I am not feeling particularly Julia Child-ish this week.

I’m trying to survive.

So naturally, I was flipping through cookbooks to soothe my tired soul.

Everyone does self-care differently. Some people meditate. Some people take long baths. I read cookbooks and imagine all the things I’d make if someone else would kindly clean the kitchen afterward.

And that’s when I found a chicken sandwich recipe from Jessica Secrest.

Fast? Yes.

Comfort food? Absolutely.

BACON?

Friends, I’m in.

The Sandwich That Met Us Where We Were

Now, as usually happens when I find a recipe I like, I changed quite a bit of it.

Not because there was anything wrong with the original, but because recipes have to live in the house where they’re being cooked.

And in my house, we’re feeding selective eaters.

Huge amounts of garlic and everything bagel seasoning aren’t going to fly with my crew, so the everything-seasoned Italian loaf and compound butter became good old-fashioned French bread slathered with regular butter.

Homemade French bread is lovely if you’ve got some.

Store-bought is lovely if you’ve got that.

This is not a week for bread-based moral superiority.

And then there’s Ivy’s dad, who wants absolutely nothing to do with the whole bacon-and-melted-cheese situation.

I know.

I’ve chosen to love him anyway.

He gets a section with seasoned chicken and nothing else, which is exactly the way he likes it.

That’s one of the things I’ve learned after years of feeding my family: dinner doesn’t have to look exactly the same on every plate to count as eating together.

Sometimes loving your people looks like piling pepper jack and crispy bacon onto one side of a sandwich while leaving the other side completely alone.

Everybody gets fed. Everybody gets something they actually enjoy.

That counts as a win in my book.

And Then There’s the Bacon

The chicken itself couldn’t be much easier.

A little olive oil, ranch seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper give it plenty of flavor without making dinner complicated.

But then we cook the bacon.

And because we’re not about to waste perfectly good bacon grease, we’re going to cook our chicken in that gloriousness too.

Is this health food?

No.

Does every food need to be health food?

Also no.

Sometimes it’s Friday-night salad.

Sometimes it’s chicken cooked in bacon grease and piled onto buttery toasted French bread.

Life contains multitudes.

Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest for a few minutes while the bread gets buttery and golden in the oven. Then chop the chicken, pile it onto the bread with that crispy bacon and pepper jack cheese, and send the whole thing back into the oven until the cheese gets gloriously melty.

Put the top on, slice it into sandwiches, and dinner is DONE.

Dinner Doesn’t Have to Fix Everything

And maybe that’s what I like most about this sandwich.

It’s not complicated.

It’s not fancy.

It isn’t going to magically fix the air conditioner or calm down my work schedule. It won’t make back-to-school season less chaotic, and it certainly can’t take Zander’s check ride for him.

Honestly, even bacon has limits.

But it will put something warm and delicious on the table without requiring you to summon energy you simply don’t have.

And on weeks like this one, that matters.

So if you’re tired too, grab yourself a loaf of French bread. Cook some bacon. Make the sandwich differently on one end if that’s what somebody you love needs.

Then sit down.

Eat something good.

For the next ten minutes or so, let the rest of the world handle itself.

You may not completely have your life together.

I certainly don’t.

But there’s dinner on the table, the people you love are fed, and there’s bacon on your sandwich.

I’d say we’ve marginally got this, my friend.

Chicken Ranch Sandwiches Inspired by: Jessica Secrest

Servings: 6 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

5 slices thick-cut bacon
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons ranch dip seasoning mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Pink Himalayan sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1 loaf unsliced French bread homemade or store-bought
4 tablespoons 1/2 stick butter, softened
4 slices pepper jack cheese

Method

Cook the bacon. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange the bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until crisp but not burned. While it cooks, feel free to chant the universal kitchen mantra: bacon makes everything better.
Season the chicken. While the bacon cooks, preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken breasts in a medium bowl and add the olive oil, ranch seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Toss until the chicken is completely coated. Tongs work just fine, but your hands are the best kitchen tools you’ve got. We’re getting dirty, friends.
Drain the bacon. When the bacon is crisp, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. Carefully pour the rendered bacon grease from the baking sheet into your preheated skillet.
Cook the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for about 7 minutes per side, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Because bacon may make life better, but food poisoning absolutely does not.
Rest the chicken. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and let it rest for about 5 minutes so all those lovely juices stay where they belong.
Toast the bread. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Slice the French bread in half lengthwise and spread the softened butter over both cut sides. Place the bread, cut sides up, on a baking sheet and toast for 3–5 minutes, until lightly golden.
Assemble the sandwiches. While the bread is toasting, cut the rested chicken into bite-sized pieces. Remove the bread from the oven and set the top half aside. Layer the chicken, bacon, and pepper jack cheese over the bottom half. If you’ve got selective eaters who do not believe bacon and cheese belong anywhere near their chicken, leave part of the sandwich plain. We meet people where they are around here.
Melt the cheese. Return the bottom half of the sandwich to the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Serve. Add the top half of the bread, slice into 6 sandwiches, and celebrate the fact that your life includes bacon. Seriously. Bacon is wonderful.

Notes

The chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Feel free to customize individual sections of the loaf before the final bake—plain chicken, no bacon, different cheese, whatever makes the people at your table happy.