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- Carl's Jr. Charbroiled Chicken Club Sandwich Reduced-Fat
Eight weeks after the board of directors locked seventy-six-year old Carl Karcher out of his office in 1993, he was engineering a takeover of the "Happy Star" company that he had built over five decades. Crafty Carl found financier William P. Foley to assume his debts in exchange for stock and take control of the company as the new chairman of the board. Carl was named chairman emeritus and finally got his desk back. His plan to sell Mexican food at Carl's Jr. restaurants was later adopted and became a huge success for the chain, and almost all of the executives who had fired him have since left the company.
Here's one of Carl's delicious sandwiches that we can clone with much fewer fat grams by using turkey bacon, fat-free mayonnaise, and fat-free Swiss cheese. These substitutions for full-fat ingredients can bring the fat down from twenty-nine grams to just over ten without compromising that distinctive Carl's Jr. taste.
Nutrition Facts
Serving size–1 sandwich
Total servings–4
Calories per serving–366 (Original–570)
Fat per serving–10.5g (Original–29g)
Source: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.
Get This
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- 2 skinless chicken breast fillets
- 1/2 cup teriyaki marinade (thick style)
- 4 whole wheat hamburger buns
- 8 slices turkey bacon
- 1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
- 1 cup alfalfa sprouts
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 4 large tomato slices
- 4 slices fat-free Swiss cheese slices
1. Cut each chicken breast in half across the middle, then wrap the halves, one at a time, in plastic wrap. Pound each one with a mallet until it is about ¼ inch thick.
2. Pour the teriyaki marinade over the meat. Cover and chill the meat and let it marinate for at least two hours. Marinating them overnight is even better.
3. When the chicken is well-marinated, heat up a skillet and toast the face of each of the buns. Keep the pan hot. Preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to medium heat.
4. Fry the turkey bacon in the skillet for 5 to 6 minutes or until it’s crispy, tuning each slice over halfway through the cooking time.
5. As the bacon is frying, cook the chicken on the grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until done.
6. Build the sandwiches first by spreading ½ tablespoon of fat-free mayo on each of the bottom buns.
7. Divide the sprouts into four even portions and stack a mound on each of the bottom buns.
8. On the sprouts, stack a lettuce leaf, and then a slice of tomato.
9. Place a piece of chicken on the tomato slice on each of the sandwiches.
10. Next, place a slice of Swiss cheese on the chicken, and then two pieces of bacon, crossed over each other.
11. Finish building the sandwiches by adding the top bun.
12. Microwave each sandwich for 15 seconds on high, then serve.
Makes 4 sandwiches.
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